Research Articles
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A research article reports the results of original research, assesses its contribution to the body of knowledge in a given area, and is published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. The faculty publications through published and on-going articles/researches are captured in this community
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Item Progress toward elimination of perinatal HIV transmission in Kenya: Analysis of early infant diagnosis data(International Journal of STD and AIDS, 2018-06) Achwoka, D.; Mandala, J.; Muriithi, M.; Zeng, Y.; Chen, M.; Dirks, R.; Sirengo, M.; Wafula, R.; Torpey, K.Interrupting vertical transmission of HIV from mothers to infants provides opportunity to transform the HIV/AIDS epidemic by eliminating new infections among children. We estimate mother-to-child transmission rates of infants born to known HIV-positive mothers offered prevention of mother-to-child transmission interventions and provide an indication of Kenya’s progress toward elimination of perinatal transmission. We obtained from the Kenya National Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) database, all 131,451 DNA polymerase chain reaction test results of HIV-exposed infants aged 0–18 months who had dried blood spot samples taken between January 2008 and October 2013. The majority of samples were from infants aged 0–6 months (81.0%). Infants aged 6–12 months comprised 15.5%, while those aged 12–18 months were 3.5%. Overall, 11,439 (8.7%) were HIV-positive. Positivity rates were higher among older age groups: 6.8, 14.6, and 27.5% in age groups 0–6 months, 6–12 months, and 12–18 months old, respectively. In Kenya, scale-up and decentralization to primary health centers of EID services has been remarkable. Both increasing HIV-positivity trends in age groups 12–18 months and differences between provinces require further interrogation. Although significant, declining HIV-positivity trends in age groups 0–6 months and 6–12 months old observed between 2008 and 2013 is insufficient to achieve the elimination agenda.Item Mobile phones andcore network growth in Kenya: Strengthening weak ties(Social Science Research, 2011-03) Shrum, W.; Mbatia, P.N.; Palackal, A.; Dzorgbo, D.S.; Duque, R.B.; Ynalvez, M.A.In contrast to recent US studies showing a decrease in core network size, our Kenyan data reveals substantial network growth. We attribute this to the diffusion of mobile telephones. Results from pooled survey data from Nairobi professionals and entrepreneurs in 2002 and 2007 as well as qualitative interviews from 2007 to 2009 show virtual saturation in the diffusion of phones during this period, but no direct effect of technology use. What explains this puzzle is a network effect of mobile telephony: increased technological access to existing networks in a context of resource scarcity leads to a strengthening of weak ties and the enhancement of core networks among Kenyans. Video ethnographic data before and after the 2007 post-election unrest supports this interpretation, showing that mobile phones are a crucial resource in managing interpersonal networks for instrumental purposes. © 2010 Elsevier Inc.Item The role of intergenerational transfers, land, and education in fertility transition in rural Kenya: The case of Nyeri district(Population and Environment, 2009-02) Shreffler, K.M.; Nii-Amoo Dodoo, F.This qualitative study reveals how population pressures, land availability, inheritance norms, and educational opportunities intertwine to influence fertility decline in rural Kenya. Focus group discussions with men and women whose childbearing occurred both before and after the onset of rapid, unexpected fertility transition in Nyeri, Kenya allowed individuals who actually participated in, or witnessed, the fertility transition to "voice" their perceptions as to the mechanisms underlying the transition. Findings suggest that, since land inheritance is a cultural norm, land scarcity and diminishing farm size often influence fertility decision-making and behavior via preferences for fewer children. Further, education does not appear to be the driving cause of fertility behavior change, but rather is adopted as a substitute for land inheritance when land resources are scarce. These findings have implications for our understanding of fertility behavior as well as for improving predictions of fertility transition in other rural sub-Saharan African contexts. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009.Item Cohabitation, marriage, and 'sexual monogamy' in Nairobi's slums(Social Science and Medicine, 2007-04) Hattori, M.K.; Dodoo, F.N.A.The current study investigates the extent to which sexual exclusivity-the restriction of one's sexual engagements to a single partner-prevails across various marital status, union type, and co-residence categories among Nairobi's poorest residents, slum dwellers. This question is central to the spread of HIV in the increasingly urban and poor, high prevalence countries of sub-Saharan Africa, where transmission is primarily via heterosexual sex. In many circles, sexual exclusivity is considered a prominent feature of the marriage institution. Yet, marriage and cohabitation are often not easily distinguishable in sub-Saharan Africa, meaning that the frequent use, as a proxy, of the "in union" category, which includes married as well as cohabiting persons can, at best, be considered tenuous. Using the 2000 Nairobi Cross-Sectional Slum Survey (NCSS), this paper confirms that marriage is associated with higher reports of sexual exclusivity even in settings where poverty provokes risky behavior. The finding, here, is of lower risk of HIV infection for married respondents, with a smaller effect observed among non-married cohabiters. Converse to the implied benefits of marriage, though, women with co-wives are more likely to report multiple partners. The implications of these findings are discussed. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Item Chinese Technologies and Pro-Poor Industrialisation in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Furniture Manufacturing in Kenya(2016) Atta-Ankomah, R.Despite very rapid growth, absolute poverty levels and unemployment in Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) as a whole have remained high. This situation can be associated with SSA's high dependence on imported technologies from advanced economies, many of which are unsuited to African factor endowments. This trend is, however, being reversed; advanced countries are becoming less important as sources of technology for SSA economies while other developing countries, particularly China, are becoming more important sources. This article assesses whether technologies from China and Africa's indigenous capital goods sector may help address the development impasse. Drawing on a detailed research on Kenya's formal and informal furniture sectors, the article compares the operating characteristics of Chinese machines, advanced country machines and the locally manufactured machines. The findings indicate that Chinese and Kenyan technologies appear more amenable for pro-poor industrialisation and development of SSA economies than do those from advanced countries. © 2016 European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes.