Community Education Challenges in Young Adults of South Western Uganda

Keneth Iceland Kasozi^1*, Isaac Echoru², Elvis Ngala Mbiydzenyuy¹, Aaron Kimwise³, Miriam Nansunga¹, Ibrahim Semuyaba¹, Muhamudu Kalange¹, Herbert Izo Ninsiima¹, Kintu Muggaga², Simon Peter Emorut⁴

¹Department of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Kampala International University Western Campus, Bushenyi, Uganda.
²Department of Medical Anatomy, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Kampala International University Western Campus, Bushenyi, Uganda.
³Department of Computing, Faculty of Science and Technology, Kampala International University Western Campus, Bushenyi, Uganda.
⁴Department of Public Health, Faculty of Allied Health, Kampala International University Western Campus, Bushenyi, Uganda.

DOI: 10.4236/ojepi.2015.51009                

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify the major challenges to community education and any health problem in Bushenyi district of South Western Uganda. Data collection was done through questionnaire and participants were randomly selected. This was a cross-sectional study carried out for a period of three months in 2012. A questionnaire was used to collect data and using onsite observations the responses were validated. A total of 260 participants from 65 homesteads were included in the study from 52 households. 144 were females and 116 males, of which 52.4% of the children were female and the rest male. The mean ± SEM age of females and males was 36 ± 8.6 and 29 ± 8.6 years respectively. In all the homesteads, 71% were headed by an adult male and only 29% were found to be headed by an adult female while none was headed by children. Inferential analysis showed (P = 0.02) that there are more females than male in the homesteads. Majority of the homesteads are being taken care of by women instead of men probably as a result of the high mortalities due to HIV/AIDS in the past decade and above all the movement of most men to urban centers in search of better sources of employment to support their families. Among school going age participant’s i.e. children and adolescents, only 59.6% were found to be attending school. There was no statistical significance (P = 0.16) between school attendance and age. Family responsibilities such as cooking for younger siblings by female participants, obligations on open market days are thought to be secondary limiting factors for community development and livelihood amongst young persons; thus a follow up study would be conducted to assess their associations in this community as this would raise major child abuse concerns which would need to be reported to the legal authorities for follow up.

Keywords

Community Education in Uganda, Children Education in Sub-Saharan Uganda, Medical Students Rural Education, Rural Public Health

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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