Water Treatment Practices and Misperceived Social Norms among Women Living with Young Children in Rural Uganda.

Access to water safe for consumption is critical for health and well-being, yet substantial structural barriers often necessitate household action to make water safer. Social norms about water treatment practices are understudied as a driver of personal water treatment practice. This study assesses reported and perceived water treatment practices among women in a rural, water insecure setting.

Adverse childhood experiences, alcohol consumption, and the modifying role of social participation: population-based study of adults in southwestern Uganda.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include multiple forms of child maltreatment, including abuse and neglect, as well as other forms of household dysfunction. Studies from Uganda have revealed a high prevalence of child abuse, as well as one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption in Africa. Few population-based studies from Africa have estimated associations between ACEs and adult alcohol use, or assessed the potential buffering effects of social participation.

Normative vs personal attitudes toward persons with HIV, and the mediating role of perceived HIV stigma in rural Uganda.

Background: HIV stigma has well-documented negative impacts on HIV testing, transmission risk behavior, initiation of and adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and retention in care. We sought to assess the extent to which anticipated HIV stigma is based on misperceptions of normative attitudes toward persons with HIV, and to determine whether persons with HIV have stronger misperceptions compared with HIV-negative persons or persons of unknown serostatus. We also sought to estimate the association between normative attitudes about persons with HIV and personal attitudes about persons with HIV, and to determine the extent to which anticipated stigma mediates this association.

Correlates of attendance at community engagement meetings held in advance of bio-behavioral research studies: A longitudinal, sociocentric social network study in rural Uganda.

Background: Community engagement is central to the conduct of health-related research studies as a way to determine priorities, inform study design and implementation, increase recruitment and retention, build relationships, and ensure that research meets the goals of the community. Community sensitization meetings, a form of community engagement, are often held prior to the initiation of research studies to provide information about upcoming study activities and resolve concerns in consultation with potential participants. This study estimated demographic, health, economic, and social network correlates of attendance at community sensitization meetings held in advance of a whole-population, combined behavioral, and biomedical research study in rural Uganda.