Metabollic syndrome components as a risk factor to the health status of university students in Kenya

Abstract

An efficient healthcare system targets the maintenance or improving the health position for citizens that can be achieved through disease and illness prevention based on curative and preventive care. Kenya currently experiences a change in its diseases burden from infectious to noncommunicable diseases. This has been fueled by adoption of unhealthy lifestyles and other health risk factors such as metabolic syndrome components (MSCs) whose magnitude and impact especially among young generations has not been documented appropriately. The drive of the research was to investigate the (MSCs) as a risk factor to the health status of University students in Kenya. A cross sectional study involving 430 students from Maseno University, Kenya and anthropometric measurements based on World Health Organization (WHO) and American Heart Association were adopted. Results indicated a high prevalence of ill health at 52.6% for a period of up to 3 months among the University students. The study concluded that prevalence of ill health among University students may be majorly attributed to the abnormality in the MSCs of waist circumference, blood sugar and HDLC. The study therefore recommends appropriate measures need to be undertaken by Kenyan Universities including the adoption of health education as part of the curriculum to sensitize students on the significance of embracing healthy lifestyles as a preventive measure against ill health