Two-thirds of the world's HIV/AIDS cases reside in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the 1980s, Uganda was one of the first countries in Africa to report on the HIV epidemic. Heterosexual transmission has accounted for most of the country's HIV prevalence, which is estimated to be 6.2%. Similar to other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, the HIV epidemic in Uganda has led to a rise in tuberculosis (TB) infection, and there is substantial overlap in these epidemics. Despite links between the two epidemics in Uganda, the public health responses to HIV and TB have largely been separate and have focused on the diseases themselves rather than shared risk factors. Alcohol use and dependence is one such modifiable risk factor that links the two epidemics. Understanding fully the extent and culture of alcohol use in Uganda would contribute to the development of future interventions aiming to moderate alcohol consumption thereby reducing risk HIV and TB acquisition, improving adherence to the long-term treatment for these two chronic diseases, and curbing the detrimental effects of alcohol dependence. Before embarking on a research program of alcohol consumption in Uganda, it is first necessary to establish validated instruments that measure alcohol consumption and patterns of alcohol-related factors. The proposed study has three aims: 1) To adapt and extend available questionnaires for alcohol consumption to residents in the Kawempe Division of Kampala, Uganda; 2) To validate the culturally appropriate instrument of alcohol consumption developed in Specific Aim 1 in the Kawempe Division of Kampala, Uganda; 3) To study the frequency and patterns of alcohol consumption and their relationship to HIV and TB prevalence in a population based sample of Kawempe residents using the newly developed instrument. To achieve these aims, we will use standard qualitative research methods to adapt/extend, validate, and test reliability of an alcohol use instrument within an ongoing household contact study in Kawempe and then validate further in an independent sample of adults residing in Kawempe. After completing this study, we will have a reliable and validated instrument to assess alcohol consumption in Uganda. This new tool will allow us to obtain population-based estimates of alcohol use and alcohol-related practices and to determine its association with the risk of HIV and TB. Information obtained during this pilot study will be used to develop future interventions that aim to moderate alcohol consumption in Uganda.
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| Namagembe, Imelda; Jackson, Leila W; Zullo, Melissa D et al. (2010) Consumption of alcoholic beverages among pregnant urban Ugandan women. Matern Child Health J 14:492-500 |
