A Community Study of the Risk Factors and Perceived Susceptibility to Kidney Disease Risk in Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Kidney disease (KD) is one of the major public health threats with rising incidence and prevalence rates. Knowledge and
perceived risk increase the perception of being susceptible, leading to the adoption of behavioural modifications. The objective
was to evaluate the knowledge of KD risk factors and perceived susceptibility as well as predictors of KD risk in Lagos State,
Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Lagos State, Southwestern Nigeria. A pretested structured questionnaire
was used to draw information from 1171 male and female residents aged ≥ 18 years on socio-demography, knowledge and
perceived susceptibility to KD risk. Percentages, frequencies, Chi-square, binary and multinomial logistic regression models
were used, with a significance of p<0.05. A total of 1,061 participants, with a mean age of 33.8±11.5 years and male-female ratio
of 1.2:1, completed the instrument. Only 78.6% had good knowledge of KD risk factors, while 63.0% had perceived low
susceptibility to KD risk. The common self-reported risk factors were high salt intake (91.28%) and herbal concoction (82.21%).
High blood pressure (17.51%), high blood sugar (17.96%) and family history of KD (7.92%) were also self-reported. The
independent predictors of KD risk were herbal concoction [Odds ratio (OR) =3.43, Confidence Interval (CI) =1.88‒6.27] and
frequent use of pain killers [OR=2.06, CI=1.24‒3.39]. Knowledge of KD risk factors was quite high but perceived susceptibility
to KD risk was low. There is a need for continuous sensitization, educational health interventions and screening for early
detection.