Kampala Research Articles

Use of Personal Protective Equipment among Building Construction Workers in Kampala, Uganda

Background 270 million workplace accidents occur annually. In Uganda, Kampala district has the highest workplace injury and fatality rates. However, information on personal protective equipment (PPE)—hand gloves, hardhats, overalls, safety boots, earplugs, safety harness with lanyard, and face shields—utilization among building construction workers remains scarce. We assessed PPE utilization and determinants among building construction workers in Kampala, Uganda. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 385 respondents. Data collected by structured questionnaire was double-entered in EpiData and analyzed in STATA at 5% significance level. Independent determinants of PPE use were established by a stepwise backward logistic regression analysis. Results 305 (79.2%) respondents were males, 290 (75.3%) were 18–30 years, 285 (74.0%) completed secondary education, and 197 (51.2%) were temporary employees. 60 (15.6%) respondents used PPE. Female sex (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 6.64; 95% CI: 1.55–28.46; P = 0.011), temporary (AOR = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01–0.27; P < 0.001) and casual (AOR = 0.01; 95% CI: 0.001–0.071; P < 0.001) employment, and previous knowledge of safety measures (AOR = 100.72; 95% CI: 26.00–390.16; P < 0.001) were associated with PPE use. Conclusion PPE use was low in Kampala, Uganda. Building construction companies should implement measures of the Uganda Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The role of Ugandan District Hospital orthopedic units in the care of vulnerable road users: a cross-sectional study.

BackgroundMusculoskeletal injuries are a common cause of morbidity after road traffic injury (RTI) in motorizing countries. District hospitals provide front-line orthopedic care in Uganda and other sub-Saharan African nations. Improving care at the district hospital level is an important component of the World Health Organization’s strategy for surgical and trauma systems strengthening, but the data necessary to inform RTI safety and care initiatives has previously been insufficient at the district hospital level. The objective of this study was to provide data on the patient population and patterns of musculoskeletal injury caused by RTI at Ugandan district hospitals.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, all patients with musculoskeletal injuries identified on x-ray presenting to three Ugandan district hospitals from October 2013 to January 2014 were interviewed and examined to obtain data on patient demographics and injury context by road user category. This manuscript is a sub-group analysis of RTI victims from a broader dataset of all musculoskeletal injuries.ResultsVulnerable road users comprised 92 % of musculoskeletal RTI patients, with 49 % (95 % CI 41–57 %) pedestrians, 41 % (95 % CI 33–49 %) motorcyclists, and 2 % (95 % CI 0–4 %) cyclists. Commonly injured subgroups included student pedestrians (33 % (95 % CI 22–44 %) of pedestrians) and motorcyclists with less than a post-secondary education (74 % (95 % CI 63–85 %) of motorcyclists). The morning hours were the most common time of injury for all RTI patients (37 %%; 95 % CI 30–44 %) and motorcyclists (46 %; 95 % CI 34–58 %), while pedestrians were most commonly injured in the evening (32 %; 95 % CI 21–43 %).ConclusionsBy demonstrating commonly injured demographic groups and high frequency times of day for injury, this surveillance study of musculoskeletal RTI suggests targeted avenues for future road safety research in the districts of Uganda. Compared with previous studies from the capital of Uganda, these results suggest that Ugandan district hospitals care for a disproportionate share of vulnerable road users, a discrepancy which may pertain to other sub-Saharan African nations, as well. Strengthening district hospital orthopedic care should be considered a priority of strategies aimed at improving outcomes for these vulnerable groups.

Health seeking practices and associated factors among malaria suspected patients at an urban hospital in Kampala Uganda

Health seeking practices and associated factors among malaria suspected patients at an urban hospital in Kampala Uganda

Can Probiotics Reduce Diarrhea and Infant Mortality in Africa?: The Project of a Pilot Study.

Diarrhea accounts for 9% of the mortality among children under 5 years of age worldwide, and it is significantly associated with malnutrition. Each year, diarrhea kills around 760,000 children under 5 years of age and most of these are in sub-Saharan Africa.In Uganda, the infant mortality rate of 58 per 1000 is unacceptably high, and the major contributors include malnutrition, diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, prematurity, sepsis, and newborn illnesses.There is an urgent need for intervention to prevent and control diarrheal diseases. Our open-label, randomized controlled study has the primary endpoint of reducing diarrhea and infectious diseases (number of episodes/severity) and the secondary endpoint of decreasing infant mortality. The trial is currently conducted in Luzira, a suburb of Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and in Gulu and Lira, in the north of Uganda.The study is projected to enroll 4000 babies (control=2000 and treatment=2000) who will be followed till 1 year of life. As controls, 2000 babies of the same community are planned to be considered.The probiotic product selected for the trial is composed of 3 designated microorganisms, namely Bifidobacterium breve BR03 (DSM 16604), B. breve B632 (DSM 24706), and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii LDD01 (DSM 22106). The concentration of the 3 bacteria is 10 viable cells/strain/daily dose (5 drops). For a total sample of 4000 babies, the study has an 80% power at a 5% significance level.

Early testing of new sanitation technology for urban slums: The case of the Blue Diversion Toilet

The toilets used most in informal urban settlements have detrimental consequences for the environment and human health due to the lack of proper collection and treatment of toilet waste. Concepts for safe, sustainable and affordable sanitation systems exist, but their feasibility and acceptance have to be investigated at an early stage of development, which is difficult due to the high costs of building working models. In this paper, we present an approach to estimate acceptance in a valid and representative form with only one working model, and apply it to test an innovative zero-emission toilet with recycling of wash water. Four basic principles were specified for investigation and nine hypotheses formulated to test the feasibility and acceptance of these principles: source separation of urine and feces with subsequent collection for resource recovery; provision of wash water in a separate cycle with on-site recovery through a membrane bioreactor; a convenient and attractive overall design; and a financially sustainable business plan. In Kampala (Uganda), in 2013, data was collected from 22 regular users, 308 one-time users and a representative sample of 1538 participants. Qualitative data was collected from the users, who evaluated their likes, perceived benefits, social norms and expected ease of use based on verbal and visual information. Most of the hypotheses were confirmed, indicating the feasibility and acceptance of the basic principles. Source separation and on-site water recovery were found to be feasible and accepted, provided users can be convinced that the emptying service and water recovery process work reliably. In the survey, the toilet was evaluated favorably and 51% of the participants agreed to be placed on a bogus waiting list. However, some design challenges were revealed, such as the size of the toilet, hiding feces from view and improving the separation of urine and water.

Xenic Cultivation and Genotyping of Pathogenic Free-Living Amoeba from Public Water Supply Sources in Uganda

Studies on waterborne parasites from natural environment and domestic water sources in Uganda are very scarce and unpublished. Water dwelling free-living amoebae (FLA) of the genus Acanthamoeba, Hartmannella, and Naegleria are often responsible for causing morbidities and mortalities in individuals with recent contact with contaminated water, but their presence in Uganda’s public water supply sources is not known. We cultivated and genotyped FLA from natural and domestic water from Queen Elizabeth Protected Area (QEPA) and Kampala (KLA). The cultivated parasites were observed microscopically and recorded. The overall prevalence of FLA in QEPA (Acanthamoeba spp., 35%; Hartmannella spp., 18.9%; Naegleria spp., 13.5%) and KLA (Acanthamoeba spp., 28.3%; Naegleria spp., 16.6%; Hartmannella spp., 23.1%) were not significantly different. The highest prevalence across water sources in QEPA and KLA was observed for Acanthamoeba spp., followed by Hartmannella spp., and Naegleria spp. Overall FLA mean (±SE) and mean (±SE) across water sources were highest for Acanthamoeba spp. compared to other FLA but were not statistically significant (p &gt; 0.05). Analysis of the FLA sequences produced 1 Cercomonas, 1 Nuclearia, 1 Bodomorpha, 2 Hartmannella, 5 Echinamoeba, and 7 Acanthamoeba partial sequences, indicating a muliplicity of water contaminants that need to be controlled by proper water treatment.

Peace and Art: A report on a one-off art workshop with underprivileged children and young people in Kampala, Uganda

This article is about a one-off art making workshop with children and young people in Kampala, Uganda. It is based on the theme of the United Nations (UN) Peace Day “Right to Peace”. This is in the context of the enduring political, economic and social instabilities in this region. The setting is a half-way house for unsettled children and young people who are homeless, often orphaned as a result of political unrest and who are likely to have experienced multiple trauma. The ‘home’ situation has a religious base. In addition to food, clothing and shelter, the ‘home’ provides a mentoring programme to the children and young people who live there, based on biblical teachings. This article reports on the workshop group process, the discussions and the creative activity based on the theme. The findings of the workshop and their relevance to the lives of the children and young people in the shelter are discussed. All names are pseudonyms and all personal identifiable information has been changed. Keywords: street children; trauma; basic needs; peace; art; religious symbols

Export Composition and Economic Growth in Sub- Saharan Africa: A Panel Analysis

This paper was guided by the hypothesis that it is not exports per se that matter, but different export components influence growth differently. We considered a sample of 35 sub-Sahara African countries based on availability of data on the key variables. Aggregate data were obtained from the most recent World Bank‟s World Development Indicators and International Monetary Fund‟s International Finance Statistics online facilities. Disaggregated data on exports and imports were obtained from the United Nation‟s Statistical Database under Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) Revision 4. The Generalized Methods of Moments estimator was employed during the analysis. We find that it is the growth in agricultural exports, and not manufactured exports, that is significantly associated with per capita income growth in our sample. These countries should adopt policies that increase agricultural exports in the medium term as they design strategies for increasing manufactured exports in the long term. Other factors significantly influencing growth are gross capital formation, capital goods imports, infrastructure, government consumption, and inflation rate, political systems and governance, and education. Author’s Note Edward Bbaale is a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Global Development in Washington D.C. He obtained a PhD in Economics from the University of LinzAustria in 2008. His research interests include health care services and outcomes for women and children. John Mutenyo is a Research Fellow at the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institute Washington DC. Prior to that, he was a Visiting Scholar at the IMF in Washington DC and a Lecturer of Economics at Makerere University Kampala Uganda. He holds a PhD from University of Dar es Salaam Tanzania. His Research interests include but are not limited to Investment and Growth.

Carbapenem resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda (2007-2009).

BackgroundMultidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii are common causes of health care associated infections worldwide. Carbapenems are effective against infections caused by multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacteria including Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter species. However, their use is threatened by the emergence of carbapenemase-producing strains. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii at Mulago Hospital in Kampala Uganda, and to establish whether the hospital environment harbors carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative rods.ResultsBetween February 2007 and September 2009, a total of 869 clinical specimens were processed for culture and sensitivity testing yielding 42 (5 %) P. aeruginosa and 29 (3 %) A. baumannii isolates, of which 24 % (10/42) P. aeruginosa and 31 % (9/29) A. baumannii were carbapenem-resistant. Additionally, 80 samples from the hospital environment were randomly collected and similarly processed yielding 58 % (46/80) P. aeruginosa and 14 % (11/80) A. baumannii, of which 33 % (15/46) P. aeruginosa and 55 % (6/11) A. baumannii were carbapenem-resistant. The total number of isolates studied was 128. Carbapenemase genes detected were blaIMP-like (36 %, 9/25), blaVIM-like (32 %, 8/25), blaSPM-like (16 %, 4/25); blaNDM-1-like (4 %, 1/25) in carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa, and blaOXA-23-like (60 %, 9/15), blaOXA-24-like (7 %, 1/15), blaOXA-58-like (13 %, 2/15), and blaVIM-like (13 %, 2/15) in carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii. Furthermore, class 1 integrons were detected in 38 % (48/128) of P. aeruginosa and Acinetobacter, 37 % (26/71) of which were in clinical isolates and 39 % (22/57) in environment isolates. Gene cassettes were found in 25 % (12/48) of integron-positive isolates. These were aminoglycoside adenylyltransferase ant(4′)-IIb (3 isolates); trimethoprim-resistant dihydrofolate reductase dfrA (2 isolates); adenyltransferase aadAB (3 isolates); QacE delta1 multidrug exporter (2 isolates); quinolone resistance pentapeptide repeat protein qnr (1 isolate); and metallo-β-lactamase genes blaVIM-4-like, blaIMP-19-like, and blaIMP-26-like (1 isolate each). Gene cassettes were missing in 75 % (36/48) of the integron-positive isolates.ConclusionsThe prevalence of carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa and Acinetobacter among hospitalized patients at Mulago Hospital is low compared to rates from South-East Asia. However, it is high among isolates and in the environment, which is of concern given that the hospital environment is a potential source of infection for hospitalized patients and health care workers.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40064-016-2986-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Strategie di occupazione dello spazio urbano: il caso delle chiese pentecostali di Kampala (Uganda)

Basato su una ricerca di lungo periodo a Kampala (Uganda) iniziata nel 2005, l’articolo si focalizza sulle strategie di occupazione dello spazio urbano da parte delle chiese pentecostali, le compara con le confessioni cristiane di epoca coloniale e le analizza nell’ottica teorica dello “spatial turn”. Negli ultimi tre decenni le chiese pentecostali sono sorte a centinaia in città, con strategie non centralizzate: in questo modo si osserva la compresenza di semplici strutture costruite con materiali di fortuna con altre di dimensioni maggiori e più stabili, per arrivare in alcuni casi alle dimensioni di “mega-churches”, con congregazioni di decine di migliaia di fedeli. Queste modalità differenziate di presenza nello spazio urbano sono considerate nell’articolo parte del processo di entrata progressiva del movimento pentecostale nella sfera pubblica ugandese. Attraverso l’analisi del caso di studio di Kampala, l’articolo mostra il ruolo delle religioni nel connotare e significare lo spazio urbano, sia attraverso la presenza fisica, sia con la retorica della lotta spirituale per la “conquista” di tale spazio.

The Impact of Echocardiographic Screening for Rheumatic Heart Disease on Patient Quality of Life

To assess the impact of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) on child-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in the context of a Ugandan school-based echocardiographic screening program. Echocardiography-based screening has emerged as a tool for the early detection of RHD, but little is known about its impact on those screened. Participants included 358 children from Gulu and 28 children from Kampala Uganda. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Version 4.0 was used to assess HRQOL in 4 groups of children: Gulu prescreen, Gulu postscreen, Gulu previously linked to care, and Kampala previously linked to care. Children in the pre- and postscreen groups were selected from a single school before and after screening occurred and matched by age and sex. Children previously linked to care were recruited from previous screening studies. When the echocardiogram was normal, there was no difference in HRQOL in the prescreen and postscreen groups. In the postscreen group, identification of latent RHD resulted in lower physical (75.3 vs 68.3, P=.03) and emotional (71.7 vs 63.4, P<.01) HRQOL, despite a lack of symptoms. The Kampala group had longer linkage to care (42months vs 6months, P<.01) and demonstrated greater HRQOL scores compared with the Gulu-linked group (70.7 vs 77.8, P<.01) and the combined Gulu cohort (77.8 vs 69.4, P=.02). Echocardiography-based screening for RHD does not diminish HRQOL in Ugandan children; rather, a diminished HRQOL score may be associated with being identified as RHD positive. Further investigation is needed to understand if longer linkage to care may ultimately normalize or improve HRQOL.

Knowledge and practices related to sexually transmitted infections among women of reproductive age living in Katanga slum, Kampala, Uganda.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) still stand as one of the commonest health problems affecting women of reproductive age. The knowledge and practices of STIs, among susceptible populations such as women of reproductive age, living in slums like Katanga in Kampala Uganda need to be established. This was a cross-sectional study with 339 participants in Katanga slum. Data was collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire, entered and analysed using SPSS version 17.0. Data was summarized using frequencies for categorical data and medians for continuous data. Majority of the participants (71.9%) were ≥25years with a mean age of 28.0(SD ±7.0) years. The commonest symptoms known to the participants were genital itching (60%) and genital rash (14.5%). Most mentioned multiple partners (63.7%) and unprotected sex (50.7%) as predisposing factors to STIs. Knowledge on methods of prevention was high (92.3%) however, 18.8% were found positive for STIs using the syndromic approach and 82% mentioned having suffered from STIs in the past 6 months more than once. Most participants did not know about the systemic effects of STIs to their health and didnot follow the appropriate behavior patterns despite being knowledgeable about the various methods of prevention of STIs.

ASSURE: a model for the simulation of urban expansion and intra-urban social segregation

ABSTRACTNumerous cities in developing regions worldwide are expanding at a tremendous rate. This requires adequate strategies to address the needs of these growing cities with diverse populations. Nonetheless, the development of urban policies is often hampered by the lack of reliable data or insight in the socio-spatial dynamics of this urban expansion. This paper therefore presents ASSURE, a spatially and temporally explicit model that can simulate urban growth and intra-urban social segregation, taking into account alternative policy strategies and expected social dynamics. The model has a flexible structure that allows incorporating specific city conditions that influence residential decision-making and adapting the simulation to the data available. This, in combination with the transparent model structure, makes ASSURE a potentially valuable decision support tool for urban planning. The potential is demonstrated with an example where the urban growth of and social segregation in Kampala (Uganda) is simulated based on (semi-)quantitative and qualitative data for ca. 800 households collected through interviews. The results of the simulations show that depending on the scenario, the spatial segregation and accessibility problems will evolve highly differently.

Control beliefs and health locus of control in Ugandan, German and migrated sub-Saharan African HIV infected individuals

ObjectivesLittle is known about the influence of control beliefs on antiretroviral drug adherence in patients who migrated from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe. The aim of this study was to explore the differences in health locus of control and control beliefs between HIV infected patients from sub-Saharan Africa with and without a lifetime experience of migration. MethodsA sample of 62 HIV infected consecutive patients referred to the HIV clinics at the University Hospital of Münster (Germany) and at the Rubaga Hospital Kampala (Uganda) were enrolled into this study. We compared three groups of patients: sub-Saharan African migrants, German patients, and local Ugandan patients. We used the German health and illness related control beliefs questionnaire (KKG), the Competence and control beliefs questionnaire (FKK), and the Powe Fatalism Inventory-HIV/AIDS-Version (PFI-HIV/AIDS-Version) and translated these scales into English and Luganda. In addition, the patients' sociodemographic, acculturation, clinical, and immunological data were registered. ResultsSignificant results were shown in HIV related external locus of control between migrated sub-Saharan African and local Ugandan patients compared to German patients. General control beliefs showed no significant differences. In the PFI-HIV-Version, there was a significant difference between migrated sub-Saharan African and Ugandan patients compared to German patients. ConclusionsOur data suggest that the experience of migration does not influence the locus of control. Compared to German HIV patients, African patients in general showed a significantly higher external health locus of control which might have implications for drug adherence.

Post-stroke depression among stroke survivors attending two hospitals in Kampala Uganda

The burden of stroke worldwide is increasing rapidly. There is paucity of data on post-stroke depression (PSD) among stroke survivors in Uganda, despite the high prevalence of PSD reported elsewhere. In a cross-sectional study, we assessed adult participants with confirmed first stroke with a standardized questionnaire. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to assess for depression among non-aphasic patients while the Aphasic Depression Rating Scale was administered to aphasic patients. Univariable and multivariable analyses performed to describe associations with PSD. Forty three females (58.9%) and 30 males (41.1%) who had a stroke participated. Fifty eight (79.5%) had ischemic strokes and 12 participants (16.4%) were aphasic. The prevalence of PSD among the study participants was 31.5%. PSD was higher among patients assessed within 6 months after the onset of stroke. PSD was strongly associated with the total Barthel index of activities of daily living (BIADL) score; p=0.001. There was no significant association between demographic characteristics and PSD. There is a high prevalence of unrecognized post-stroke depression. Post-stroke depression was strongly associated with the patient's inability to undertake activities of daily life. There is urgent need for integration of screening for and management of post-stroke depression among stroke survivors.

Transnational connections of health professionals: medicoscapes and assisted reproduction in Ghana and Uganda

ABSTRACTObjectives. Based on our comparative fieldwork in two private fertility clinics in Accra (Ghana) and Kampala (Uganda), we explore the transnational mobility of providers involved in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) and analyze how resulting transnational networks influence the realization and appropriation of these therapeutic treatments. By exploring these case studies from developing countries, this article intends to contribute to the field of studies that examine the diversification and complexity of migration and health care.Design. We first summarize the dynamics affecting the health-care systems in Ghana and Uganda over the last decades. Then, we describe the transnational mobility engaged in the two clinics. Through the case studies, we highlight how ARTs are realized and appropriated in the two receiving countries, and the role transnational contacts play within the negotiations of medical ethos and financial interests. By using the concept of medicoscapes, we analyze the worldwide connections between ART providers, the institutions they work in, their medical practices, artifacts, and their regimes of medical knowledge.Result. Transnational professional contacts have been essential to the setup of both clinics offering ARTs in Ghana and Uganda. These contacts developed along colonial and post-colonial links, integrating also south–south relationship. The clinics' directors act as entrepreneurs and creative decision-makers who capitalize on their transnational professional network. The case studies show the diverse transnational entanglements in both clinics and demonstrate the frictions between the doctors’ entrepreneurial interests, medical concerns and cultural values.Conclusion. The transnational professional contacts expose both clinics to varying practices and debates, and make them into sites for negotiating distinct clinical practices. They provoke frictions between entrepreneurial interests and medical concerns including cultural values. In current medicoscapes, in a situation of full absence of any form of financial support and of any national ART regulation in Ghana and Uganda, clinic directors are in the position to apply those practices that fit their interests and local circumstances best.

English

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between human resource (HR) practices, employee engagement and organizational citizenship behaviours (OCB) in selected firms in Uganda. Adopting a pragmatic philosophy with a quantitative methods strategy using quantitative cross-sectional survey design (N = 210) the researcher examined the relationship between nine antecedents, employee engagement and one outcome – OCB. Self-administered questionnaire of four scales were administered to sampled employees of soft drink and sugar firms Kampala, Mukono and Buikwe districts of Uganda. Hypotheses were tested through correlation and hierarchical regression. All the nine antecedent variables studied were significantly related to employee engagement and employee engagement was significantly related to OCB. The hierarchical regression analysis results shows that five antecedent variables demonstrated a significant relation with OCB - role clarity, collaboration, job security, compensation fairness and development. This research has validated the organizational citizenship behaviour model, extended the engagement model and social exchange theory and established that all the nine antecedents studied were related to engagement but only five were significantly related to OCB. Key words: Employee engagement, antecedents, OCB, HR practices, employee development, job security, compensation fairness, collaboration, Uganda.

Alcohol, Substance Use and Psychosocial Competence of Adolescents in Selected Secondary Schools in Uganda: A Cross Sectional Survey.

Aims1) To determine the nature and extent of alcohol and substance use and 2) To describe the relationship between alcohol use and psychosocial competence among secondary school youths in Northern and Central Uganda.Study DesignThis was a cross-sectional study.Place and Duration of studyDepartments of Mental Health, Gulu University (Northern Uganda) and Department of Psychiatry, Makerere University College of Health Sciences (Central Uganda) between September 2011 and April 2012.MethodologyFour (4) and eight (8) secondary schools located in the rural and urban areas of Gulu and Kampala districts respectively were randomly selected to participate in the survey. A total of 3,200 students aged 12 to 24 years were recruited by proportionate multistage sampling. Data was collected using a socio-demographic questionnaire that included questions about nature and frequency of alcohol and substance use. A pre-tested self-administered survey questionnaire with scales to measure components of psychosocial competence (PSC) was administered. Data was entered in Epidata, and exported to SPSS version 16.0 for analysis. Psychosocial competence was classified as high or low depending on the responses in the sub-scales of decision making, self efficacy, empathy, emotional awareness, coping with stress and emotions, and accurate self-assessment and self-confidence.ResultsA total of 2,902 questionnaires comprising of 2,502, (86.2%) from Kampala district and 400 (13.8%)) from Gulu district were analyzed. Male to female ratio was 1:1 with an age range of 12 to 24 years and a mean of 16.5. About 70.1% had ever used alcohol and substances. Only 39.1% used substances regularly. The commonest substance used was alcohol (23.3%), followed by kuber (10.8%), khat (10.5%), aviation fuel (10.1%), cannabis (9.2%) and cigarettes (5.9%). Respondents from the Gulu district were twice more likely to use all substances. Users and regular users from the North Northern Uganda had lower psychosocial competence. Factors significantly associated with non-use of alcohol were high levels of self-confidence, non-use of cannabis and kuber and age. In the alcohol user groups, a high level of coping was associated with discontinued and experimental use of drugs of abuse.ConclusionMore than two-thirds (70.1%) of young people in this study had ever used substances of abuse only once and slightly over a third had used it regularly. From the perspectives of service provision, mental health promotion and prevention of illicit substance use, school mental health programmes that target both non-users and users are recommended.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions of Secondary School Teenagers towards HIV Transmission and Prevention in Rural and Urban Areas of Central Uganda.

HIV/AIDS has remained a challenge in Uganda among adolescent despite the ABC strategy used globally to prevent HIV infection. The study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of secondary school teenagers towards HIV transmission and prevention in rural and urban schools of central Uganda. A cross sectional study using self-administered questionnaires and structured interviews was used to collect data from adolescents in secondary schools in Kampala and Buikwe districts. Eight schools were randomly selected with 4 schools in each district. A total of 245 students from schools were recruited in the study with 120 and 125 students from urban Kampala and rural Buikwe district schools respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 11. The results were expressed as percentages in a 2 × 2 tables. The mean age of the participants was 15.9 ± 2.5 years. Results showed that 95.1% participants had knowledge on HIV/AIDS in both urban and rural schools and 27.4% knew all the modes of HIV transmission. About 83.7% knew the ABC strategy for HIV prevention and 37.6% would talk about HIV/AIDS mainly with friends. For HIV cure, 62.0% of study participants reported non-cure and 24.9% were not sure. The remaining 13.1% of the study participants in both urban and rural schools reported that HIV can be cured. And the modes of curing HIV that were mentioned by participants included spiritual healing, transmitting it to others through sexual intercourse and that antiretroviral (ARVs) drugs can cure it as well as that it can be cured abroad. About 65.7% of participants reported recognition of one with HIV/ AIDS and by having red lips, being sickly; weight loss, skin rash and being very rich were mentioned. About 39.2% of the study participants mentioned that they cannot get infected with HIV and can’t contract HIV at all and 18.4% believed that chances of getting HIV infection were high. On perception and attitude on condoms and their use, participants reported that it is a sign of mistrust, reduces sexual pleasures and they are embarrassing to buy. Majority of the participants in both urban and rural schools had some knowledge on HIV/AIDS and the ABC strategy for HIV prevention. However, there was a knowledge gap on the various modes of HIV transmission and prevention. There was misconception of the participants on HIV/AIDS cure, condom use and on the chances of contracting HIV. About the source of HIV/AIDS information, majority of the participants were getting information on HIV/AIDS from friends of which some information was misleading. This false information could be the reason for the increased HIV prevalence reported among the adolescents in the schools. Generally, participants had some knowledge on HIV/AIDS though they had knowledge gap on HIV transmission and prevention.

Are Anganwadi Teachers the Ultimate Health Guides for Under-Five

Today's children are tomorrow's hope, who can constitute a stronger nation. Growing children in their tender age are at increased risk of becoming sick especially children of under-five year. Communicable diseases are one of the leading cause of death among Under-five children. It's transmitted through direct contact with infectious pathogens include some viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, multicellular parasites and aberrant proteins known as prions. Transmission of pathogens can occur in various ways including physical contact, contaminated food, body fluids, objects, airborne inhalation and through vector organisms. In this era under five children's are suffering and dying each year due to the communicable diseases like malaria, diarrhoea, and scabies etc. Anganwadi teachers are influential people in the community who are able to disseminate the knowledge to children's as well as to the care givers. An ganwadi teachers can educate the mother regarding the upliftment of the health of their children, and thereby they can minimize the health problems among children. A study was conducted among 300 primary care givers regarding knowledge, attitude and practices regarding communicable diseases in Kampala district revealed that 40% of anganwadi teachers are not having adequate knowledge regarding treatment of communicable diseases. It is therefore desirable that these teachers have the knowledge prevent and manage communicable diseases among their children in any eventuality. Hence investigator felt to develop a planned teaching programme among primary caregivers here anganwadi teachers to improve their knowledge. In this study the pre-test majority (63%) samples had moderate knowledge level, (10%) samples had inadequate knowledge on prevention of selected communicable diseases among under five children. There is a significant increase in knowledge of anganwadi teachers after the introduction of planned teaching programme. During the post-test all (100%) anganwadi teachers gained adequate knowledge level of knowledge. The mean post-test knowledge score (22.7±1.70) was higher than the mean pre-test knowledge score (14.66±4.47).The 't' test (t29=2.05 p<0.005) was computed to compare the significant difference between the mean pre-test and posttest knowledge score. The calculated 't' value indicate that there is significant gain in knowledge score. The study concluded that planned teaching programme is effective in increasing the knowledge of anganwadi teachers regarding prevention of selected communicable diseases among under five children.