School of Clinical Medicine

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Browsing School of Clinical Medicine by Author "Acup, Walter."

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    PublicationOpen Access
    Factors associated with first antenatal care (ANC) attendance within 12 weeks of pregnancy among women in Lira City, Northern Uganda: a facility-based cross-sectional study
    (Reproductive medicine Original research, 2023-07) Acup, Walter.; Opollo, Marc Sam.; Akullo, Betty Nancy.; Musinguzi, Marvin.; Kigongo, Eustes.; Opio, Bosco.; Kabunga, Amir.
    Objective This study aimed at assessing factors associated with first antenatal care (ANC) attendance within 12 weeks of pregnancy among women in Lira City. Design A cross-sectional study. Settings The study was conducted in health facilities offering ANC services in Lira City, Northern Uganda. Participants The study was among 368 pregnant mothers attending their first ANC in the three selected facilities (Lira Regional Referral Hospital, Ober Health Center IV and Pentecostal Assembly of God Mission Health Center IV) in Lira City. Primary and secondary outcome measures Level of first ANC attendance within 12 weeks of pregnancy and associated factors. Results Early ANC attendance was 36.1%. Women who were: unmarried (adjusted OR (aOR): 0.40, 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.99), took >2 hours to reach a health facility (aOR: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.62), or not visited by village health teams or healthcare workers at home (aOR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.92) were less likely to attend their first ANC early. On the other hand, women who were: not knowing first that ANC guides parents on infant care (aOR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.06 to 4.67); pregnant without consent of spouse (aOR: 4.29, 95% CI: 1.75 to 10.55); attending ANC from a private facility (aOR: 2.89, 95% CI: 1.27 to 6.15); and having two to three healthcare workers present at the ANC clinic (aOR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.03 to 3.13) were more likely to attend ANC early. Conclusions Despite the fact that the WHO recommends that all women begin ANC within 12 weeks after conception, Lira City in Northern Uganda had a low overall incidence of timely ANC initiation. Being unmarried, distance to reach a health facility, and being visited by village health teams or healthcare workers at home were all linked to timely ANC commencement. As a result, intervention efforts should concentrate on the highlighted determinants in order to promote ANC initiation in Lira City, Northern Uganda. This can be accomplished by providing information and education to the community on the timing and necessity of ANC in Northern Uganda.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Parents’ Readiness to Vaccinate Their Children Aged 5 to 17 Years Against Covid-19 and Its Associated Factors in Lira District, Uganda
    (Pediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics, 2023-04-20) Puleh, Sean Steven.; Kigongo, Eustes.; Opio, Innocent Ojok.; Akech, Stella Immaculate.; Opollo, Marc Sam.; Achan, Everlyne.; Acen, Joy.; Anyolitho, Maxson Kenneth.; Acup, Walter.; Kabunga, Amir.
    Background: Data on parents’ readiness to vaccinate their children aged 5 to 17 years against COVID-19 is still scarce. This study assessed parents’ readiness to vaccinate their children aged 5 to 17 years against COVID-19 and factors associated in Lira district, Uganda. Methods and Materials: A cross-sectional survey employing quantitative methods was conducted between October and November 2022 among 578 parents of children aged 5– 17 years in 3 sub-counties in Lira district. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics including means, percentages, frequencies, and odds ratios. Logistic regression was used to determine associations between the factors and the readiness of parents at a 95% level of significance. Results: Out of 634 participants, 578 responded to the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 91.2%. The majority of the parents (327, 56.8%) were female, had children aged between 12 and 15 years (266, 46.4%), and had completed primary education (351, 60.9%). Most of the parents were Christian (565, 98.4%), married (499, 86.6%), and had been vaccinated against COVID-19 (535, 92.6%). Results also indicated that 75.6% (ranging from 71.9% to 78.9%) of the parents were unwilling to vaccinate their children for the COVID-19 virus. The predictors of readiness were the age of the child (AOR: 2.02; 95% CI: 0.97– 4.20; p=0.05) and lack of trust in the vaccine (AOR: 3.33; 95% CI: 1.95– 5.71; p0.001). Conclusion: Our study shows that parents’ readiness to vaccinate their children aged 5 to 17 years was only 24.6%, which is suboptimal. The predictors of hesitancy were the age of the child and a lack of trust in the vaccine. Based on our results, the Ugandan authorities should provide health education interventions targeting parents to combat mistrust with respect to COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccine and highlight the benefits of the vaccines.