Prevalence and associated factors of non-communicable diseases among men in Kenya: an analysis of the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey

Background Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) increasingly being disproportionately affected. Although anecdotal evidence or reports indicate an increasing number of Kenyan men having NCDs, the prevalence and associated factors are not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of non-communicable diseases among men in Kenya.

Secondary data comprising 14,453 men aged 15-54 years from the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) were analysed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses in SPSS, version 29.

Overall, the percentage of men with at least one NCD was 9.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.7-10.2%). Whereas the proportion of participants with multiple NCDs was 1.9 (95CI:1.6-2.3). Across NCDs, the highest prevalent NCD was hypertension (3.5% 95%CI:3.1-3.9) followed by depression (2.2% (95%CI:1.9-2.5), anxiety (1.6% (95%CI:1.3-1.9), arthritis (1.4% (95%CI:1.1-1.6), heart disease (1.2% (95%CI:0.9-1.5), diabetes (1% (95%CI:0.8-1.3), lung disease (1% (95%CI:0.7-1.3), and cancer (0.1% (95%CI:0-0.1). In terms of multiple chronic conditions (multimorbidity), the majority of the participants had diabetes and hypertension (0.5% (95%CI:0.3-0.7) followed by hypertension and depression (0.3% (95%CI:0.2-0.4), hypertension and anxiety (0.3% (95%CI:0.2-0.4), and arthritis and depression (0.2% (95%CI:0.1-0.2). Several factors, such as age, region, residence, ethnicity, education level, health status, wealth index, religion, media access, living a sedentary lifestyle, and physical activity, were found to be significantly associated with the prevalence of NCDs.

The overall prevalence of NCDs among men is relatively lower than that of Kenyan women. We found that sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were significantly associated with the prevalence of NCDs. To reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among men, tailored health education, medical checkups, and physical activity promotion are essential. Region-specific policies and culturally sensitive interventions should address risk factors and ethnic disparities. Wealthier, more educated men should be encouraged to adopt healthier lifestyles, while rural areas need improved access to specialized healthcare services. The media should balance health messaging, and religious communities/leaders can play a supportive role in promoting health and reducing stigma. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funding Statement The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: High international ethical standards are ensured during MEASURE DHS surveys and the study protocol is performed following the relevant guidelines. The 2022 KDHS survey protocol was reviewed and approved by the ICF Institutional Review Board. Written informed consent was obtained from human participants and written informed consent was also obtained from legally authorized representatives of minor participants. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Data Availability Third-party data was obtained for this study from The DHS Program (https://dhsprogram.com/). Data may be requested from the DHS Program after creating an account and submitting a concept note. More access information can be found on the DHS Program website (https://dhsprogram.com/data/Access-Instructions.cfm). The data set is openly available upon permission from the MEASURE DHS website (https://www.dhsprogram.com/data/available-datasets.cfm). The authors confirm that interested researchers would be able to access these data in the same manner as the authors. The authors also confirm that they had no special access privileges that others would not have.