Cancer Risk Factors in Uasin Gishu County

DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION

The research was aimed at finding out the risk factors causing cancer among adults living in UasinGishu County. It will be carried out in Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret. The research used 30 samples, exclusive of the key informants who were the hospital staff and administration. The data collection tool used was questionnaires, observation and interviews. Interviews were used to get information from the cancer patients and hospital administration. The illiterate respondents also gave their information through interviews.

4.1 Demographic characteristics of the respondents

4.1.1 Age

The researcher targeted adults aged above 20 years for the study. This was due to the factor that most cancer cases have been identified in older persons and the need to ascertain the probable risk factors predisposing adults in their reproductive ages. Most of the persons interviewed were below 40 years who represented 67% of the respondents. The main reason for targeting adults within the reproductive age bracket was to identify the possible causative agents and indicators that may be promoting exposure to cancer cells during the prime age of production and the probable ways of combating it at an earlier stage of one’s existence.

Figure 4.1: Age distribution of the respondents

4.1.2 Religion

From figure 4.2 it is evident that most of the residents of UasinGishu County are Christians as can be attested by the large number of respondents interviewed. They comprise 63.33% which is more than half of the respondents. The Muslims were 26.7% whereas the Hindus accounted for 6.7% and others 3.3% of the population interviewed. Religious affiliation was tested as a parameter to know whether one’s faith is associated with the lifestyle he/she leads and the probable exposure to risk factors causing cancer.

Figure 4.2: Religion of the respondents

4.1.3: Gender

The researcher found out that 57 % of the respondents were females as compared to males who...