Pregnancy planning among female sex workers in Uganda: evaluation of the psychometric properties of the london measure of unplanned pregnancy

The aim of the study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP) among female sex workers (FSWs) in Uganda. The LMUP was translated into Luganda and adapted for use with FSWs and underwent cognitive testing and two field tests. From the final Luganda LMUP, three other language versions were created (Acholi, Lugisu and Runyakole), and preliminary field test data were collected. Final data were collected from 819 FSWs attending the 'Most at Risk Population Initiative‘ clinics. The Luganda field testing showed that there were no missing data, the scale was well targeted, Cronbach‘s alpha was 0.82, weighted Kappa was 0.78, measurement was unidimensional, and all construct validity hypotheses were met. Likewise, with the Acholi, Lugisu, and Runyankole translations, field testing showed that there were no missing data, the scales were well targeted, Cronbach‘s alpha were>0.70, and measurement was unidimensional. We concluded that the Luganda LMUP is a valid and reliable tool for assessing pregnancy planning among FSWs in Uganda and that the Acholi, Lugisu, and Runyankole versions of the LMUP also had good initial psychometric propertiesLe but de l'étude était d'évaluer les propriétés psychométriques de la mesure de Londres de la grossesse non planifiée (MLGNP) chez les femmes prostituées (FPs) en Ouganda. Le MLGNP a été traduit en luganda et adapté aux (FPs). Il a été soumis à des tests cognitifs et à deux tests sur le terrain. À partir de la version finale de Luganda MLGNP, trois autres versions linguistiques ont été créées (acholi, lugisu et runyakole) et des données de test de terrain préliminaires ont été collectées. Les données finales ont été recueillies auprès de 819 prostituées qui fréquentent les cliniques de l‘«Initiative pour la population la plus exposée au risque». Les essais sur le terrain en Luganda ont montré qu‘il n‘y avait pas de données manquantes, l‘échelle était bien ciblée, le coefficient alpha de Cronbach était de 0,82, le kappa pondéré de 0,78, la mesure était unidimensionnelle et toutes les hypothèses de validité de construction étaient remplies. De même, avec les traductions Acholi, Lugisu et Runyankole, des essais sur le terrain ont montré qu‘il n‘y avait pas de données manquantes, que les échelles étaient bien ciblées, que le coefficient alpha de Cronbach était supérieur à 0,70 et que les mesures étaient unidimensionnelles. Nous avons conclu que le MLGNP de Luganda est un outil valide et fiable d‘évaluation de la planification de la grossesse chez les FPs en Ouganda et que les versions acholi, Lugisu et Runyankole du MLGNP avaient également de bonnes propriétés psychométriques initiales.Keywords: Female sex workers, pregnancy planning, psychometric validation, UgandaAfr J Reprod Health 2019; 23[3]: 79-9

Workshop-based learning and networking: a scalable model for research capacity strengthening in low- and middle-income countries.

Science education and research have the potential to drive profound change in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through encouraging innovation, attracting industry, and creating job opportunities. However, in LMICs, research capacity is often limited, and acquisition of funding and access to state-of-the-art technologies is challenging. The Alliance for Global Health and Science (the Alliance) was founded as a partnership between the University of California, Berkeley (USA) and Makerere University (Uganda), with the goal of strengthening Makerere University's capacity for bioscience research. The flagship program of the Alliance partnership is the MU/UCB Biosciences Training Program, an in-country, hands-on workshop model that trains a large number of students from Makerere University in infectious disease and molecular biology research. This approach nucleates training of larger and more diverse groups of students, development of mentoring and bi-directional research partnerships, and support of the local economy. Here, we describe the project, its conception, implementation, challenges, and outcomes of bioscience research workshops. We aim to provide a blueprint for workshop implementation, and create a valuable resource for bioscience research capacity strengthening in LMICs