Survey of Risk Factors for Chronic Kidney Disease

The Survey of Risk Factors for Chronic Kidney Disease (SRFCKD) is a 10,000 household survey that is being conducted at the request of the Ministry of Health (MoH), as part of a larger project.  The purpose of the project is to diagnose patients at an early stage of the development of Chronic Kidney Disease, thereby preventing the worsening of the disease and thus decreasing the negative socio-economic impacts it has on society.

 

The Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) is the implementing agency for the Survey, and all data collected will be held in strict confidence, with steps taken to ensure that no single individual can be identified when the results are published, in accordance with the Statistical Institute of Belize Act, 2006. All samples will be destroyed upon completion of the study.

 

The Survey is designed to provide information on the existence, distribution of, and factors related to chronic diseases in general and kidney disease in particular, among Belizeans age 20 to 55 years old.  It is being carried out by teams, which consists of the SIB’s trained field staff and a trained nurse and phlebotomist from the Ministry of Health.

 

Our interviewers will be visiting selected households and conducting face-to-face interviews, from August to December 2017.

 

The process involves:

• The completion of a very short Household Questionnaire, which will identify eligible respondents to the Individual Questionnaire;
• The completion of an Individual Questionnaire by all household members age 20 to 55 years;
• Screening of all respondents to the Individual Questionnaire, which involves:
  • Gaining informed consent;
  • Taking of temperature, height, weight, waist, blood pressure and blood sugar measurements;
  • Testing of urine for protein and glucose;
  • Taking of a blood sample, which will be tested for indications of chronic kidney disease.

Your participation in this survey is very important to the development of Belize, as together, all this information will help the Ministry of Health to find out how many persons are likely to get chronic kidney disease.  The Ministry of Health will then use this information to design policies, programs, and interventions to reduce the number of Belizeans developing chronic kidney disease.