Kenyan men lead in mental illness and deaths, says new KNBS report
Nyeri residents participate in a procession to mark World Mental Health Day in Nyeri town on October 11, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Even so, women suffer most from chronic illnesses.
- The report shows that men continue to die at higher rates compared to women.
- The 2021 data indicates that while more than 130,000 men died, the figure for women was about 100,000.
More Kenyan men than women have mental illnesses, a new report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows.
Even so, women suffer most from chronic illnesses.
Highlighting a list of 14 conditions and how they affect the population based on sex, the KNBS report says females dominate 11 of the chronic illnesses.
In the three chronic health conditions men have been reported to suffer on a larger scale than women – mental disorders, kidney problems and TB – they constitute about 58 per cent of the sick population.
The “Women and Men in Kenya, Facts and Figures, 2022” report, however, does not explain the causes of the scenario, leaving room for researchers and institutions to put in more work and find possible reasons.
According to the report that was launched yesterday, while men suffer more than women in the three chronic health conditions, women suffer more – up to 78 per cent for some illnesses.
Women make up 78 per cent of the population with arthritis, about 69 per cent of the population with hypertension and 63 per cent of those with HIV/Aids.
“Chronic health conditions or diseases are persistent (lasting a year or longer) and require ongoing medical attention,” the report says.
It adds that about 54 per cent of cancer patients are women.
The report is expected to form the basis for the government to take actions that address gender-specific issues in society.
“We need this data to provide evidence for our programmes and policies, measure gaps and progress and unmask opportunities,” National Gender and Equality Commission secretary Betty Sungura said.
She highlighted the lack of gender-specific statistics and consistent data gaps among factors rendering women and other minority groups largely invisible in development.
Mr Wainaina said the KNBS intends to share the report with other government agencies to enhance their planning and tackling of gender-based issues.
“Gender statistics has increased in importance when planning,” he said.
The report shows that men continue to die at higher rates compared to women.
The 2021 data indicates that while more than 130,000 men died, the figure for women was about 100,000.
Last year recorded the highest number of deaths in the past five years, with reported deaths on both sexes rising by about 20,000 each.
In 2020, nearly 110,000 men were reported dead, while 80,000 fatalities were women.
Between 2017 and 2020, reported deaths played around the same range, but shot up sharply last year.
Other than the health issues, the report shows that more women move to different parts of the country, mainly for marriage (nearly 40 per cent of internal female migrants), while less than 10 per cent of internal male migrants move for the same reason.
While less than 30 per cent of female internal migrants move for economic reasons, nearly 60 per cent of male migration is due to work.
