Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and the associated factors among children and adolescents with a history of maltreatment in Uganda.

Unlabelled: Worldwide, children who grow up under adverse conditions risk the development of mental health problems. However, reliable data on the estimated magnitude of mental disorders of PTSD, depression and their associated factors among maltreated children and adolescents in low- and middle-income-countries (LMICs) is still lacking. This study estimated the magnitude of PTSD, depression and the associated factors among the children and adolescents with ahistory of maltreatment in Southwestern Uganda.

Hepatic schistosomiasis, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and health related quality of life measurements from the Albert Nile Basin.

Background: Health related quality of life measurements are vital elements of public health surveillance that uncover unmet health needs and predict the success of health interventions. We described health related quality of life measurements using the EuroQoL 5-dimension (EQ-VAS/EQ-5D) instrument and associated factors among patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) and hepatic schistosomiasis at a rural health facility in the Albert Nile Basin, Uganda.

Methods And Materials: This was a cross-sectional study at Pakwach Health Centre IV.

Social Networks and Barriers to ART Adherence Among Young Adults (18-24 years) Living with HIV at Selected Primary Health Facilities of South-Western Uganda: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Young adults living with HIV (YALWH) struggle to maintain high levels of adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) because of numerous barriers. This study describes the social networks of YALWH (18-24 years), their barriers to ART adherence, and the perceived role of social networks in overcoming those barriers.

Methods: This study used a qualitative descriptive research design.

Participation in gardening activity and its association with improved mental health among family caregivers of people with dementia in rural Uganda.

Evidence from high-income settings suggests that gardening is associated with reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress. The benefits of gardening are less well understood by mental health practitioners and researchers from low- and middle-income countries. Our study estimated the association between participation in gardening and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among caregivers of people living with dementia in rural, southwestern Uganda.

Prevalence of the Use of Herbal Medicines among Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Although herbal medicines are used by patients with cancer in multiple oncology care settings, the magnitude of herbal medicine use in this context remains unclear. The purpose of this review was to establish the prevalence of herbal medicine use among patients with cancer, across various geographical settings and patient characteristics (age and gender categories).

Methods: Electronic databases that were searched for data published, from January 2000 to January 2020, were Medline (PubMed), Google Scholar, Embase, and African Index Medicus.

Child maltreatment, cognitive functions and the mediating role of mental health problems among maltreated children and adolescents in Uganda.

Background: Child maltreatment poses high risks to the mental health and cognitive functioning of children not only in childhood but also in later life. However, it remains unclear whether child maltreatment is directly associated with impaired cognitive functioning or whether this link is mediated by mental health problems. Our study aimed at examining this research question among children and adolescents in Uganda.

Anatomical variation and distribution of the vagus nerve in the esophageal hiatus: a cross-sectional study of post-mortem cases in Uganda.

Purpose: Vagus nerve injuries during gastroesophageal surgery may cause significant symptoms due to loss of vagal anti-inflammatory and neuromodulator function. Many previous studies have shown high anatomical variability of the vagus nerve at the esophageal hiatus, but information on its variability in Uganda specifically and Africa in general is scanty. This study provides a reliable and detailed description of the anatomical variation and distribution of the vagus nerve in the esophageal hiatus region of post-mortem cases in Uganda.

Praziquantel and Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Hepatic Schistosomiasis: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Background: There is a general consensus that widespread use of praziquantel in populations where schistosomiasis is endemic prevents development of hepatic schistosomiasis and its complications. However, a few studies have reported discordant findings linking praziquantel to the occurrence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) in some patients with hepatic schistosomiasis and varices.

Objective: We explored if there was any causal association between recent praziquantel use (rPZQ) and upper gastrointestinal bleeding in hepatic schistosomiasis in rural Africa.

Factors associated with the utilization of inactivated polio vaccine among children aged 12 to 23 months in Kalungu District, Uganda.

Uganda officially introduced the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) in May 2016 as part of the polio eradication strategy and integrated it into its routine immunization programme in addition to the oral polio vaccine. The current coverage stands at 60% as of July 2017. We therefore aimed to determine factors associated with the uptake of IPV among children in Kalungu District so as to inform the implementation of the vaccine policy.

Caring for people with dementia in rural Uganda: qualitative study of caregiving burden experienced by informal and formal caregivers.

Background: The rising incidence of Alzheimer's disease among older-age adults worldwide has been accompanied by an increase in caregiving burden. Limited work has examined the lived experiences of both formal and informal caregivers of people living with dementia in low-income countries.

Methods: We conducted one-on-one, in-depth qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of 10 informal caregivers and 5 formal caregivers of people living with dementia in Mbarara, Uganda.

Caregiving burden and mental health problems among family caregivers of people with dementia in rural Uganda.

Background: Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are associated with increasing health burden in low- and middle-income countries. Less well-recognized is the potential health burden experienced by other affected individuals, such as family caregivers. In this study, we sought to profile the burden of care and its association with symptoms of depression and anxiety among informal caregivers of people living with dementia in rural southwestern Uganda.

Predictors of in-hospital mortality among under-five children with severe acute malnutrition in South-Western Uganda.

Background: Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) affects about 13 million under-five children (U5), with an estimated one million dying every year. In this study we aimed at determining the in hospital mortality and its associated factors among U5s admitted with SAM.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of children 6 months to 5 years with SAM admitted at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) between June and August 2015.

The diagnostic accuracy of routine clinical findings for detection of esophageal varices in rural sub-Saharan Africa where schistosomiasis is endemic.

Background: Variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is common in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, poor access to endoscopy services precludes the diagnosis of varices.

Objectives: We determined the diagnostic accuracy of routine clinical findings for detection of esophageal varices among patients with UGIB in rural SSA where schistosomiasis is endemic.

Gender differences in response to war-related trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder - a study among the Congolese refugees in Uganda.

Background: The wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo have left indelible marks on the mental health and functioning of the Congolese civilians that sought refuge in Uganda. Even though it is clear that civilians who are exposed to potentially traumatizing events in war and conflict areas develop trauma-related mental health problems, scholarly information on gender differences on exposure to different war-related traumatic events, their conditional risks to developing PTSD and whether the cumulative exposure to traumatic events affects men and women differently is still scanty.

Methods: In total, 325 (n = 143 males, n = 182 females) Congolese refugees who lived in Nakivale, a refugee settlement in the Southwestern part of Uganda were interviewed within a year after their arrival.

Dementia assessment and diagnostic practices of healthcare workers in rural southwestern Uganda: a cross-sectional qualitative study.

Background: An estimated 50 million people worldwide have Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), and this number is projected to increase with the growth of the aging population, with the largest growth occurring in low and middle-income countries. Diagnostic coverage for dementia is estimated to be only 5-10% in low- and middle-income countries. Timely diagnosis of ADRD could prompt early access to information, medical treatments, and support for caregivers.

The impact of an exercise training intervention on cortisol levels and post-traumatic stress disorder in juveniles from an Ugandan refugee settlement: study protocol for a randomized control trial.

Background: Latest research demonstrates a significant improvement in stress-related symptoms in psychological disorders as a result of exercise training (ET). Controlled clinical trials further validate the significance of ET by demonstrating lower salivary cortisol levels in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after intervention. A significant change in cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels can already be found after an 8-12-week ET program.

Medicinal Plants used during Antenatal Care by Pregnant Women in Eastern Uganda.

Plants are commonly used during the antenatal stage in pregnancy to manage different ailments in Africa. In Uganda, both medicinal and food plants are used to handle common pregnancy related conditions. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in Iganga district, eastern Uganda.

PTSD symptom severity relates to cognitive and psycho-social dysfunctioning - a study with Congolese refugees in Uganda.

: In the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), civilians have been heavily exposed to traumatic stressors. Traumatizing experiences cumulatively heighten the risk for trauma-related disorders, and with it affect cognitive and psycho-social functioning. : We aimed at investigating the association between trauma-related disorders and cognitive and psycho-social functioning and hypothesized that PTSD symptom severity would negatively correlate with executive functioning, working memory and psycho-social functioning in everyday life.

Profiling lifetime episodes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding among patients from rural Sub-Saharan Africa where schistosoma mansoni is endemic.

Introduction: Severe chronic hepatic schistosomiasis is a common cause of episodes upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, there is paucity of data on clinical epidemiology of episodes of UGIB from rural Africa despite on going public health interventions to control and eliminate schistosomiasis.

Methods: Through a cross sectional study we profiled lifetime episodes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and associated factors at a rural primary health facility in sub-Saharan Africa were schistosomiasis is endemic.

Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plant species used by communities around Mabira Central Forest Reserve, Uganda.

Background: An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants was carried out in 14 villages adjacent to Mabira Central Forest Reserve (CFR) in Central Uganda between August 2013 and March 2014.

Methods: Information was obtained through interviews using semi- structured questionnaires. Field excursions with traditional healers and herbal medicine collectors were carried out.

Social and Institutional issues in the Adoption of School-based Technology-aided Sexual Health Education Program.

Objective: School-based sexual health education interventions can reach young people of diverse backgrounds and equip them with knowledge and skills for protecting themselves against HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancies, and live healthy and responsible lives. However, given that school-based sexual health education intervention are health projects implemented in educational settings, variety of social and institutional issues can present challenges. This study aimed to obtain rich insights into the facilitating or inhibiting mediators for the implementation of a school-based sexual health education intervention in Uganda.

Contextual Mediators influencing the Effectiveness of Behavioural Change Interventions: A Case of HIV/AIDS Prevention Behaviours.

Background: Although Uganda had recorded declines in HIV infection rates around 1990's, it is argued that HIV/AIDS risk sexual behaviour, especially among the youth, started increasing again from early 2000. School-based computer-assisted HIV interventions can provide interactive ways of improving the youth's HIV knowledge, attitudes and skills. However, these interventions have long been reported to have limited success in improving the youth's sexual behaviours, which is always the major aim of implementing such interventions.

A Controlled Pre-Post Evaluation of a Computer-based HIV/AIDS Education on Students' Sexual Behaviors, Knowledge and Attitudes.

Unlike traditional approaches to sexuality and HIV education which can be constrained by the sensitive nature of the subject, Information Technology (IT) can be an innovative teaching tool that can be used to educate people about HIV. This is especially relevant to interventions targeting young people; the population group fond of using IT, and the same group that is more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Yet, there are significantly few empirical studies that rigorously evaluated computer-assisted school-based HIV/AIDS interventions in developing countries.

Malaria control for rural areas in Uganda: localizing the interventions.

Background: Malaria is a public health and socio-economic threat to development in most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly in rural areas. In Uganda, a number of malaria control interventions have been adopted, most of which are part of the international Roll Back Malaria (RBM) campaign. The spread of malaria is reducing but the prevalence is still high, especially in rural areas where mostly pregnant women and children bear the blunt of the negative effects of ineffective control.