KENYA SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR 58TH

EDITION.

CATEGORY: COMPUTER SCIENCE

TITLE: The life saver system

PRESENTERS: Juliet wangoi and Florida korir

SCHOOL: mama ngina girl’s high school

COUNTY: Mombasa

Venue: MAKANDE GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL

DATE: 12TH AND 13TH MARCH 2020.

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STUDENTS DECLARATION.
We hereby declare that the project titled “The life saver system” is a record of
originality done by us. The information and data are authentic best of our
knowledge.

PRESENTERS.
NAME: Juliet wangoi Name: Florida korir

Adm: 3804 Adm: 3738

Form: 3 form: 3

D.o.b: 23th Nov 2003 d.o.b: 28th oct 2003

Sign: sign:

Supervisor.
MR. ERIC MUSAU sign:

md. sophie Kariku sign:

Mr. peter muthanga sign:

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Abstract.
When we first had the idea of the system in mind, we thought of the millions of
lives that are affected by cancer. We also saw that not only cancer patients are
affected but also their family members. In recent years we have witnessed an
increase in cancer cases and that cancer facts are not known hence we saw the need
to create awareness. Apart from all that, getting an appointment with specialized
oncologists is hard due to few doctors in the country. To curb all this, we came up
with The Life Saver System. This is a system designed to not only create
awareness on cancer but also link up patients with doctors and ensure they have
healthier lifestyles. It is systemized to show the common types of cancer and their
preventive measures. The system also partners up with cancer foundations to fund
for cancer treatment to those who are not well off financially. Through the
foundations, patients are also encouraged to have a positive attitude towards cancer
screening and diagnosis. This system is coded using highly skilled languages and is
programmed to offer assistance to those with the disease and those without it. The
Life Saver System offers a platform in that it gives our users firsthand information
they require. Through coding the system, we were able to link it to the different
specialized hospitals so as not to limit the data range for users.

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Acknowledgment.
Apart from our efforts, the success of any project depends largely on the
encouragement and guidelines of many others. We take this opportunity to express
our gratitude to the people who have been instrumental in the successful
completion of this project. We would like to show our greatest appreciation to Mr.
Peter Muthanga, Md. Sophie Kariku and Mr. Eric Musau. Without their
encouragement and guidance, this project would not have materialized. The
guidance and support received from all the teachers who contributed was vital for
the success of the project. We are grateful for their constant support and help.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.
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Kenya science and engineering fair……………………………1

Students declaration…………………………………………………...2

Abstract………………………………………………………………………….3

Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………..4
Background information……………………………………………………………….6

Statement of the problem…………………………………………………………….8

HYPOTHESIS……………………………………………………………………………………
….9

OBJECTIVES………………………………………………………………………………………
.9

Originality……………………………………………………………………………………..10

Statement of originality……………………………………………………………..11

Merits……………………………………………………………………………………………...1
1

Demerits………………………………………………………………………………………….11

Literature review…………………………………………………………………………12

Methodology………………………………………………………………………………….17

Variables……………………………………………………………………………………….23

Data analysis………………………………………………………………………………..24

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….30

Recommendation…………………………………………………………………………….31

Reference……………………………………………………………………….32

Chapter one
Introduction
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Background information
The report by the National Cancer Institute of Kenya (2019), cancer is estimated to
be the third leading cause of deaths in Kenya; killing at least 90 people daily.
Mayo (2003) suggests that cultural beliefs and attitudes towards cancer are barriers
to cancer screening. Personal beliefs about health and illness influences many
people’s decisions about seeking cancer screening. Due to rumors spread by family
members and close friends about cancer screening being painful, people have
opted not to go. The increasing number of cancer patients is putting additional
strain on health services in our country. It is estimated that 70%-80% of patients
diagnosed with cancer in Kenya are at advanced stages (Lucy, 2019). Stage 0
means there is no cancer, only abnormal cells with the potential to become cancer.
Stage I means the cancer is small and only in one area. Stage II and III mean the
cancer is larger and has grown into nearby tissues or lymph nodes. Stage IV means
the cancer has spread to other parts of your body. It is vital to know ones stage, as
this is helpful in the treatment and the rate of recovery. A research conducted in
Kisumu; Kenya shows that only 6% of the people had knowledge on cancer. This
comes in contrast with the well-developed countries where 76.2% of the people are
fully aware of cancer and its related effects. Muthike (2013) further states that only
46% of cancer patients know of the nutritious diet they should take. Cancer is
becoming a major global health problem as nearly 500, 000 new cases are heard
each year (WHO, 2019). The World Health Organization documented Kenya as
among countries that have the highest incidents of cancer cases: 91.7% believe that
cancer can be treated if detected early enough. According to Jael (2017) the big 4
agenda, with health care being one of them, the country intends to have her
administration provide medical cover to each Kenyan by the year 2022. With this
in mind, we have come up with a system that enables users to easily gain access to

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medical treatment. The system links patients with organizations that can fund their
treatment. This application serves as a platform for all the citizens of Kenya. We
are targeting not only the affluent but also the low-class citizens.

This application is highly educative to give users knowledge and understanding of

the various types of cancer and its prevention measures in general. This system
was highly demanding and we have had a few challenges:

i. We are making the system from school and with limited access to the
internet, we had a hard time linking the system to the various hospitals as we
needed guarantee from them to convey their information to our system.
ii. Making the system was a big challenge since we had a limited time keeping
in mind the limited resources available for programming the application.

Statement of problem.

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FOCUS QUESTIONS:

1. Can cancer cases be reduced in our country?

2. Are people actually aware on cancer facts?
3. How does our living lifestyles affect increase in cancer cases?

Due to the rise in cancer cases in our country Kenya, we saw the need to create a
convenient platform on awareness of cancer, linking patients to doctors and
ensuring healthier living styles. The country is curbing cancer cases in all aspects
including terming it as a “national disaster”. However, the real problem is not
cancer itself, but our own daily activities such as the usage of tobacco and
unhealthy lifestyles. Citizens illiteracy on various cancer cases is becoming a
major concern and enlightening them will contribute to bettering their health.
Consequently, reduction in cancer cases. This platform not only links cancer
patients to their doctors, but also, ensures a healthier living lifestyle for them since
health care is one of the four big agendas of our country. In addition to the rise of
cancer cases, lack of vaccination, ignorance of people, high screening charges and
treatment options are also some of the reasons why we came up with this system.
Through this platform, we have made it our solemn aim to help curb this menace.

Hypothesis
The designing of a cancer system will reduce cancer cases

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Objectives.
 To link up with doctors to those who have doubts if they have the disease in
addition to those who have it.
 To ensure healthier lifestyle for those with and without cancer.
 To create awareness to those who don’t have a clue on cancer.
 To link up cancer patients with nutritionist to improve their diet.
 To fund treatment of cancer patients through partnering with cancer
foundations

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ORIGINALITY
Human suffering happens every day, everywhere, in many types and ways all
around us. Cancer causes pain, suffering, economic losses and death among people
in Kenya. We have witnessed the death of prominent people such as Bob
Collymore, Dr. Joyce Laboso, former NTV presenter Janet Kanini and the famous
Professor Wangari Mathai due to cancer. Since cancer kills more people than HIV
and Malaria combined, we have therefore developed a technique to help reduce the
number of cancer cases in the country.

Statement of originality.
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The work contained in this write up has not been previously submitted for any
project. To the best of our knowledge and belief, the write up contains no material
previously published or written by another person except where due references are
made.

MERITS
 Patients will be linked directly to the doctors through the system.
 It uses easy and well understood language that is simple for all types of users
to understand the information.
 Users are enlightened on the different types of cancer, whether or not they
have it.
 Enlightens users on the proper diet to be taken through the system and
nutritionists linked.
 Privacy of the user is maintained.

DEMERITS
 It requires the user to be accessible to the internet.
 Cancer treatment is expensive; hence we are not absolutely sure that those
linked to hospitals have gotten the treatment they need.

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 Chapter two:
Literature review
According to Louise (2020) the National Cancer Control Strategy focuses on
financing the development and delivery of Kenya’s cancer sector, cancer research
and personnel training and availing affordable cancer treatment to patients. It
outlines four major areas it focuses on:

 Prevention, early detection and cancer screening.

 Cancer diagnosis, registration and surveillance.
 Cancer treatment, care and survivorship
 Coordination, partnership and financing for cancer control.

National Guidelines for Cancer Management developed in 2013 by Kenya’s

Ministry of Health targets clinicians and contain site-specific approaches on the
diagnosis, staging and treatment of most cancers. The Cancer Act 2012(amended
in 2015) sets legal framework to oversee and coordinate cancer treatment and
diagnostic services in the country. Non-Governmental Organizations such as
Kenya Network of Cancer Organizations (KENCO) have been instrumental in
demanding and informing changes to Kenya’s cancer policies. Kenya Medical
Research Institute (KEMRI) and Kenya’s University Hospitals inform legislature
on policy actions that affect cancer patients and clinicians delivering cancer
services

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Different types of cancers affect counties differently in that there are fluctuations
of e.g. breast cancer in Nakuru and Mombasa.

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It has been noted that the percentage of reports made by people concerning cancer
is different in the hospitals that specialize in cancer.

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In some instances, it has been seen that the number of male cancer patients varies
with that of female patients.

According to the Ministry of Health (2019), the government has set up 10 cancer
centers across the country to manage cancer burden as health care is among the
four big agendas. This includes The Kenyatta National and Moi referral hospitals.
Moreover charity organizations have been founded to financially, mentally and
emotionally assist those with and without cancer. Jennifer Cancer Foundation is a
charitable trust that was launched on May, 24th in Mombasa, Kenya. The
Foundation creates awareness on the prevention, management and treatment of
cancer in the coastal region. The Zambezi Cancer and General Hospital is also a
one stop cancer information center in Kenya. It offers various services such as
cancer screening, diagnosis and awareness.

Our system is aimed at creating awareness on the different types of cancers, their
effects and prevention as many people are not informed. In addition to this, it also
links patients with doctors and gives information to a much healthier lifestyle. The

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Breast Cancer Healthline, My Cancer Coach, Check Yourself, Cancer Therapy
Advisor and Care Zone are examples of applications designed to help cancer
patients. However, these applications are majorly designed for patients suffering
from breast cancer and are found out of the country. The Cleo Cancer App is found
in Kenya but it is restricted to breast cancer patients. Since all these are
applications, we have therefore decided to come up with a system that caters for
different types of cancers. In our system, we incorporate data on the different types
of cancers, their prevention and treatment. The Life Saver System is a
scientifically evaluated system with modifications and complete synthesis of
reviews.

CHAPTER 3:

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METHODOLOGY
Materials

1. Computer.
2. Internet access

Procedure

1. Downloaded sublime text build up from the internet.

2. Started programming using html (hypertext markup language)- a programming

language.

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3.Downloaded several pictures for designing of our application from the internet.

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4.Inserted the pictures using CSS (cascading style sheet)

5.Continued coding our system.

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6.Linked our system to the different hospitals and centers that specialize in cancer.

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7. Enlightened people on the various types of cancer and their prevention.

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Variables
independent variables.

 accessibility to the internet

Our system depends on the access to the internet that is for getting the relevant
information. The easier the accessibility the more the number of users accessible to
our system.

Dependent variables.

 USERS ACCESSIBILITY TO OUR SYSTEM

The higher the accessibility to the internet the more the number of users accessible
to our system.

Chapter four:

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DATA ANALYISIS

From the above data analysis, we concluded that the different regions have
different response time to our system on different network ranges. The type of
mobile network determines how fast the connectivity is and the response time too.

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The range of devices connected in Kenya also is used as a key to determine the
number of users in our system. The number of devices connected from laptops/
tablets/pc, mobile phones and fixed phones show the range of users with
accessibility to the internet and to the different mobile networks. Since we are
targeting all classes of people in Kenya, the data is useful in assuring a huge
number of users into our system.

Response rate

Questionnaires were issued to determine the usability and usefulness of the system.
Out the 40 questionnaires given out, 30 were returned. The response rate was 75%.
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 Response rate

respondents non-respondents

Knowledge on cancer facts

Knowledge Cancer Frequency Percentage
facts
Have little or no 26 65%

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 knowledge
Did have knowledge 14 35%

Knowledge on cancer facts

little knowledge on cancer tacts knowledgeable on cancer facts

When asked to respond on how knowledgeable they were on cancer facts, 65% of
the respondents had little or no little knowledge on cancer facts.

Usefulness of the system

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 Usefulness of the Frequency Percentage
system
Useful 34 85%
Non-useful 6 15%

Usefulness of the system

Useful Non-useful

When asked to respond on the usefulness of the system, 85% of the respondents
indicated that the system was useful and it will go a great way in creating
awareness and linking patients with doctors only 15% of the respondents did not
see the usefulness of the system citing network challenge and sensitization.

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Rating of the system
Frequency Percentage
Excellent 8 20
Very good 12 30
Average 6 15
Needs progress 14 35

Rating of the system

Excellent Very good Average Needs progress

When asked to rate the system when it was subjected to trial to the users 35% of
the respondents indicated that it was effective but needed improvement in terms of
insurance coverage, 30% of the respondents indicated that the system was good to
meet the needs of cancer patient. 20% of the respondents indicated that the system
was excellent to address cancer issues while only 15% of the respondents rated the
system to be average.

Chapter five:
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CONCLUSION
It was a wonderful and learning experience for us while working on this project.
Through the questionnaires distributed, we have seen that people’s illiteracy on
cancer has reduced as we have created awareness through our system. Our system
has partnered up with specialized hospitals to provide treatment for the patients as
getting an appointment is usually hard. Health being one of the big four agendas,
our system has the ability to link patients and non-patients to nutritionists. This is
to ensure healthier lifestyles for them. As cancer treatment is expensive, we have
linked cancer foundations and organizations to our system to provide funds for
treatment. As our system depends on the accessibility to the internet, we therefore
note that the higher the accessibility to the internet the more the number of users
accessible to our system.

Recommendations
We recommend unique code to be added to each and every member for emergency
cases. Tightening security of the system by users logging in to the system with
their fingerprint. The security of the system should be enhanced to ensure privacy
and confidentiality of the information stored in the system. We recommend

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expansion of the of the system so as to be able to accommodate videos where
persons can share their life experiences to encourage others.

REFERENCE

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Moses, N. (2019, July 28th). At least 90 die of cancer daily. Standard newspaper,
report. Retrieved from the internet
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/health/article/2001335981/at-least-90-die-
of-cancer-da

Mayo, H. (2003,August 24th). Fatalism toward breast cancer among the women of
Ghana . NCBI, report .Retrieved from the internet.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14627208

British Broadcasting Corporation. (2019, August 1st ). Kenyan survivors: Cancer is

'national disaster'. BBC, report. Retrieved from the internet .
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49191685

Lucy, W.(2019, November 14th). Burden of cancer in Kenya: types, infection-

attributable and trends. A national referral hospital retrospective survey.
Researchgate report. Retrieved from the internet.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327875396_Burden_of_cancer_in_Ke
nya_types_infection-
attributable_and_trends_A_national_referral_hospital_retrospective_survey

Lyndsay, N. (2019, July 26th). 10 prominent Kenyan figures who have died of
cancer. Star news report. Retrieved from the internet. https://www.the-
star.co.ke/news/2019-07-26-10-prominent-kenyan-figures-who-have-died-of-
cancer/

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Louise, K. (2020,January 7th). A review of Kenya’s cancer policies to improve
access to cancer testing and treatment in the country. Health policy systems
report. Retrieved from the internet.
https://health-policy-systems.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12961-019-
0506-2

Ministry of Health. (2019, September 5th). Government sets up 10 cancer centres.

Government of Kenya report. Retrieved from the internet .
http://www.health.go.ke/government-sets-up-10-cancer-centres/

Web Md. (2019, March 10th). Stages of cancer. Web Md report.

Retrieved from the internet .
https://www.webmd.com/cancer/cancer-stages#1

Muthike , Cw.(2015, December). Nutritional knowledge and dietary diversity of

cancer patients at cancer treatment centre, Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya.
Researchgate report. Retrieved from the internet.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326319853_NUTRITIONAL_KNOW
LEDGE_AND_DIETARY_DIVERSITY_OF_CANCER_PATIENTS_AT_CA
NCER_TREATMENT_CENTRE_KENYATTA_NATIONAL_HOSPITAL_K
ENYA

Jeniffer Cancer Foundation. (2019, May 24th).Create awareness and support

patients and survivors of cancer. JCF report. Retrieved from the internet.
https://jeniffercancerfoundation.org/

The Zambezi Cancer and General Hospital. (2014, September).We care for your
health and wellness. Zambezi Hospital report. Retrieved from the internet.
http://thezambezihospital.co.ke/contact-us/

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THE life saver
system.
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35