Socioeconomic Determinants of Knowledge of Kidney Disease Among Residents in Nigerian Communities in Lagos State, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to estimate the knowledge, sociodemographic determinants, and risk-inducing lifestyles of kidney disease (KD) among Nigerians living in Lagos State.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study to assess the level of knowledge of KD and its associated sociodemographic factors of individuals living in urban and semi-urban communities of Lagos State, Nigeria. It is hoped that the results of this study will help to inform preventive modalities. We used a pretested, structured questionnaire to draw information from 1171 Nigerians aged ≥ 15 years.

RESULTS

The mean age of respondents was 33.5±11.1 years. In our cohort, 72.4% of respondents were knowledgeable of KD, with media as their major source of information (41.6%). Knowledge of KD was significantly associated with age ( 0.044), education ( < 0.001), marital status ( < 0.001), and place of residence ( 0.048). The established KD risk-inducing lifestyle factors were habitual use of herbal supplements, significant alcohol consumption, and diabetes ( < 0.050). Significant predictors of knowledge of KD included primary education (Odds ratio (OR) = 0.367, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.11-1.22; =0.102), secondary education (OR = 0.296, 95% CI: 0.17-0.51; < 0.001), Igbo ethnic group (OR = 1.471, 95% CI: 0.99-2.17; 0.047), and place of residence (OR = 1.332, 95% CI: 1.00-1.77; 0.048). Age 30-39 years (OR = 0.749, 95% CI: 0.48-1.18; 0.214), 40-49 years (OR = 1.083, 95% CI: 0.69-1.69; 0.727), and not working (OR = 1.178, 95% CI: 0.88-1.57; < 0.269) were non-significant predictors of knowledge of KD.

CONCLUSIONS

Our cohort had inadequate knowledge of linking risk-inducing lifestyles to KD development. Effective measures and efforts should be made to create awareness and educate the general population on KD and prevention measures related to risk-inducing lifestyles to reduce the burden of KD among Nigerians.