Prevalence of the uptake of Covid-19 vaccines: A cross-sectional study among the students of Bishop Stuart University in South-western Uganda.

Background:  Different studies have been carried out on acceptance of Covid-19 vaccines, willingness to be vaccinated against Covid-19, and factors associated with the uptake of Covid-19 vaccines but very few studies have been carried out to find out the prevalence of the uptake of Covid-19 vaccines, especially among university students. The aim of this study, therefore, is to find out the prevalence of the uptake of Covid-19 vaccines among the students of Bishop Stuart University.   Methodology: A cross-sectional study design using qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed. Data was collected from a sample of randomly selected 370 respondents between 11th July and 3rd October 2022 from Bishop Stuart University. Qualitative and Quantitative data collection methods were employed. Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26 was used during the analysis. Results: The prevalence of uptake of Covid-19 Vaccines among the students of BSU was 57.0% where the majority of the respondents were females, 52.2% (n=193), students aged ≤30 years, 59.2% (n=215), those from middle-income, 57.3% (n=212), Christians, 60.8% (n = 225) and undergraduates, 89.2% (n = 330). Conclusion: More than half of the students of Bishop Stuart University were vaccinated with at least one of the vaccines against COVID-19 vaccine; the general uptake of Covid-19 vaccines among these students with a full dose was low as shown by the results of those who took a full dose of AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson or any other Covid-19 vaccine. Recommendation:  The study recommended that effective sensitization and psycho-education should be carried out to educate the general public about the effectiveness of the uptake of Covid-19 vaccines.

Factors associated with the uptake of Covid-19 vaccines: A cross-sectional study among the students of Bishop Stuart University in South-western Uganda.

Background:  Numerous vaccines against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were approved and distributed globally. However, little information was available on the factors that affect the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in Uganda. The aim of this study is to find out the Factors associated with the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among the Students of Bishop Stuart University, Mbarara City. Methodology:  A cross-sectional study design using qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed. Data was collected from a sample of randomly selected 370 respondents from Bishop Stuart University. Qualitative and Quantitative data collection methods were employed. Data was collected between 11th July and 3rd October 2022. Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26 was used during the analysis. Chi-square and logistic regressions were used to assess factors associated with the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. Factors with p-values <0.2 at bivariate analysis were entered into multivariate analysis. Factors with p<0.05 were considered significant. Results:  Respondents that reported always being busy with domestic work indicated a lower likelihood for the uptake of Covid-19 vaccines (AOR = 0.6, 95%CI: 0.40-0.99, p = 0.045). Respondents who perceived that the costs in the hospital were too high to manage Covid-19 illness indicated a higher likelihood for uptake of Covid-19 vaccines (AOR = 3.4, 95%CI: 1.93-6.12, p <0.001). Conclusion:  Domestic work has been found to hinder the majority of the respondents from vaccinating against Covid-19. High rates of the uptake of Covid-19 vaccines were registered among those who feared the high costs of Covid-19 illness management in hospitals. The cultural norms associated with being a male or female had impacted the decision to take Covid-19 vaccines.  Recommendation:  Community outreaches should be organized to sensitize communities about the dangers of domestic work and how to strike a balance when it comes to daily activities

Atherogenic Risk Assessment among Persons Living in Rural Uganda

Background. Hypertension and dyslipidemia are independent risk factors for coronary heart disease and commonly coexist. Cardiovascular risk can be reliably predicted using lipid ratios such as the atherogenic index, a useful prognostic parameter for guiding timely interventions. Objective. We assessed the cardiovascular risk profile based on the atherogenic index of residents within a rural Ugandan cohort. Methods. In 2011, a population based survey was conducted among 7507 participants. Sociodemographic characteristics, physical measurements (blood pressure, weight, height, and waist and hip circumference), and blood sampling for non fasting lipid profile were collected for each participant. Atherogenic risk profile, defined as logarithm base ten of (triglyceride divided by high density lipoprotein cholesterol), was categorised as low risk (0.24). Results. Fifty-five percent of participants were female and the mean age was 49.9 years (SD± 20.2). Forty-two percent of participants had high and intermediate atherogenic risk. Persons with hypertension, untreated HIV infection, abnormal glycaemia, and obesity and living in less urbanised villages were more at risk. Conclusion. A significant proportion of persons in this rural population are at risk of atherosclerosis. Key identified populations at risk should be considered for future intervention against cardiovascular related morbidity and mortality. The study however used parameters from unfasted samples that may have a bearing on observed results

The general population cohort in rural south-western Uganda: a platform for communicable and non-communicable disease studies.

The General Population Cohort (GPC) was set up in 1989 to examine trends in HIV prevalence and incidence, and their determinants in rural south-western Uganda. Recently, the research questions have included the epidemiology and genetics of communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to address the limited data on the burden and risk factors for NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa. The cohort comprises all residents (52% aged ≥13years, men and women in equal proportions) within one-half of a rural sub-county, residing in scattered houses, and largely farmers of three major ethnic groups. Data collected through annual surveys include; mapping for spatial analysis and participant location; census for individual socio-demographic and household socioeconomic status assessment; and a medical survey for health, lifestyle and biophysical and blood measurements to ascertain disease outcomes and risk factors for selected participants. This cohort offers a rich platform to investigate the interplay between communicable diseases and NCDs. There is robust infrastructure for data management, sample processing and storage, and diverse expertise in epidemiology, social and basic sciences. For any data access enquiries you may contact the director, MRC/UVRI, Uganda Research Unit on AIDS by email to [email protected] or the corresponding author

Prevalence of severe mental distress and its correlates in a population-based study in rural south-west Uganda

BACKGROUND: The problem of severe mental distress (SMD) in sub-Saharan Africa is difficult to investigate given that a substantial proportion of patients with SMD never access formal health care.This study set out to investigate SMD and it's associated factors in a rural population-based cohort in south-west Uganda. METHODS: 6,663 respondents aged 13 years and above in a general population cohort in southwestern Uganda were screened for probable SMD and possible associated factors. RESULTS: 0.9% screened positive for probable SMD. The factors significantly associated with SMD included older age, male sex, low socio-economic status, being a current smoker, having multiple or no sexual partners in the past year, reported epilepsy and consulting a traditional healer. CONCLUSION: SMD in this study was associated with both socio-demographic and behavioural factors. The association between SMD and high risk sexual behaviour calls for the integration of HIV prevention in mental health care programmes in high HIV prevalence settings

Epidemiology of hypertension in low-income countries: a cross-sectional population-based survey in rural Uganda.

OBJECTIVE: Population-based data on burden of hypertension are crucial for planning and implementation of prevention and control strategies but are often limited in developing countries in Africa. We assessed the prevalence of hypertension and related risk factors in a population cohort in rural Uganda initially established for HIV surveys. METHODS: In a cross-sectional population-based survey of hypertension and related risk factors in 2009, trained field staff administered a questionnaire and obtained a single measurement of blood pressure, BMI, waist and hip circumference, waist/hip ratio (WHR) and random plasma glucose. All members of the population cohort aged 13 years and above were eligible for survey participation. Logistic regression was used to evaluate factors associated with high blood pressure, defined as SBP (mmHg) ≥ 140 or DBP ≥ 90. RESULTS: Of the 4801 men and 5372 women who were eligible, 2719 (56.6%) men and 3959 (73.7%) women participated in the survey. The prevalence of high blood pressure was 22.0%, age standardized to the local population. Factors that were independently associated with high blood pressure were increasing age, BMI and elevated glucose in both sexes, extremes of education level (none and secondary or above) among men, and being unmarried and waist circumference ≥ 80 cm among women. Levels of reported hypertension were very low, with nine out 10 people unaware of their condition. CONCLUSION: The use of established research infrastructure, for example, community HIV surveys, can help to generate the population-based data on the prevalence of hypertension and related risk factors needed to inform planning and implementation of effective prevention and control strategies in low-income countries. There is an urgent need to strengthen health services in responding effectively to the large burden of undetected hypertension

Utilization of health insurance by patients with diabetes or hypertension in urban hospitals in Mbarara, Uganda.

BackgroundDiabetes and hypertension are among the leading contributors to global mortality and require life-long medical care. However, many patients cannot access quality healthcare due to high out-of-pocket expenditures, thus health insurance would help provide relief. This paper examines factors associated with utilization of health insurance by patients with diabetes or hypertension at two urban hospitals in Mbarara, southwestern Uganda.MethodsWe used a cross-sectional survey design to collect data from patients with diabetes or hypertension attending two hospitals located in Mbarara. Logistic regression models were used to examine associations between demographic factors, socio-economic factors and awareness of scheme existence and health insurance utilization.ResultsWe enrolled 370 participants, 235 (63.5%) females and 135 (36.5%) males, with diabetes or hypertension. Patients who were not members of a microfinance scheme were 76% less likely to enrol in a health insurance scheme (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.15-0.78, p = 0.011). Patients diagnosed with diabetes/hypertension 5-9 years ago were more likely to enrol in a health insurance scheme (OR = 2.99, 95% CI: 1.14-7.87, p = 0.026) compared to those diagnosed 0-4 years ago. Patients who were not aware of the existing schemes in their areas were 99% less likely to take up health insurance (OR = 0.01, 95% CI: 0.0-0.02, p ConclusionBelonging to a microfinance scheme positively influences enrolment by patients with diabetes or hypertension in a health insurance program. Although a small proportion is currently enrolled in health insurance, the vast majority expressed willingness to enrol in the proposed national health insurance scheme. Microfinance schemes could be used as an entry point for health insurance programs for patients in these settings

Concurrent sexual partnerships and associated factors: a cross-sectional population-based survey in a rural community in Africa with a generalised HIV epidemic.

BACKGROUND: Although concurrent sexual partnerships may play an important role in HIV transmission in Africa, the lack of an agreed definition of concurrency and of standard methodological approaches has hindered studies. In a long-standing general population cohort in rural Uganda we assessed the prevalence of concurrency and investigated its association with sociodemographic and behavioural factors and with HIV prevalence, using the new recommended standard definition and methodological approaches. METHODS: As part of the 2010 annual cohort HIV serosurvey among adults, we used a structured questionnaire to collect information on sociodemographic and behavioural factors and to measure standard indicators of concurrency using the recommended method of obtaining sexual-partner histories. We used logistic regression to build a multivariable model of factors independently associated with concurrency. RESULTS: Among those eligible, 3,291 (66%) males and 4,052 (72%) females participated in the survey. Among currently married participants, 11% of men and 25% of women reported being in a polygynous union. Among those with a sexual partner in the past year, the proportion reporting at least one concurrent partnership was 17% in males and 0.5% in females. Polygyny accounted for a third of concurrency in men and was not associated with increased HIV risk. Among men there was no evidence of an association between concurrency and HIV prevalence (but too few women reported concurrency to assess this after adjusting for confounding). Regarding sociodemographic factors associated with concurrency, females were significantly more likely to be younger, unmarried, and of lower socioeconomic status than males. Behavioural factors associated with concurrency were young age at first sex, increasing lifetime partners, and a casual partner in the past year (among men and women) and problem drinking (only men). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings based on the new standard definition and methodological approaches provide a baseline for measuring changes in concurrency and HIV incidence in future surveys, and a benchmark for other studies. As campaigns are now widely conducted against concurrency, such surveys and studies are important in evaluating their effectiveness in decreasing HIV transmission

Data resource profile: Network for Analysing Longitudinal Population-based HIV/AIDS data on Africa (ALPHA Network)

No abstract available