Back ground: Safe male circumcision is believed to be associated with reduced HIV prevalence, yet it‟s uptake in Ugandan is still low. If well embraced and adopted widely, Safe Male Circumcision (SMC) can reduce new HIV infections by 60% (WHO, 2013). The purpose of the study was to investigate the factors influencing the uptake of Safe male circumcision amongst males aged 15-49 years in outpatients‟ clinic at Mukono Church of Uganda hospital, Mukono district. Methods: This was a cross sectional study that was carried out 384 males aged 15-49 years. Data on uptake of safe male circumcision and factors associated with its uptake was collected using researcher-administered questionnaires. Data analysis was performed using Graph pad prism 7 software and Pearson chi square tests were used to assess the relationship between the socio demographic and personal factors with uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision. All statistical tests were 2-tailed and P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: In this study, 159 (41.4%) of the respondents reported to have undertaken safe male circumcision. Except religion, all the socio demographic factors had a statistically significant relationship with uptake of safe male circumcision (P < 0.05). Among the personal factors, awareness and perception about SMC significantly affected the uptake of SMC, however distance from health facility never impacted on the uptake of SMC (P =0.236). Conclusions and recommendations: The uptake of SMC among the male clients was relatively low. It is recommended that rigorous community awareness about SMC programs should be done improve community knowledge and perceptions in order to scale up safe male circumcision.

Utilization of maternal health services is associated with improved maternal and neonatal health outcomes. So this study set out to determine the factors affecting the utilization of maternity care services in Apopong Sub-county, Pallisa district. Methodology: A cross sectional study design was used employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches to data collection using a semi- structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using Statistical programme, SPSS version 17 and presented using tables, pie charts and bar graphs. Additional analyses for qualitative data were also done. Result: All respondents were females, in the age range of 15 to 45 years and mean age of 28.75 (S.D = 0.815). Majority (79.4%) of the respondents were married, (60.8%) had more than three children, 53.6% were Catholics, 61.9% were housewives and 60% travelled over 5 or more kilometers to reach the maternity center for services. Majority (62%) of the respondents delivered from maternity care center and over 60% of the respondents were delivered by midwives or nurses. Majority (97%) knew the importance of delivering from a maternity care center and had their main source of information (57%) from either multiple sources including maternity center or maternity center alone. Mothers perceived utilization of maternity care as very useful (94%), they rated the behavior of health workers as friendly although 25% said midwives are rude and majority (78%) said that they received good treatment at maternity care center. This study also found that women aged between 25 – 34 utilized maternity care services than other age groups. Majority (60%) of the respondents travelled over 5 or more kilometers to reach the maternity center for services. 80% of the respondents lived with their husbands. 96.9% of the respondents knew the importance of delivering from a maternity center. 94% of the respondents perceived maternity care services as being useful and more than half (52%) perceived health workers’ behavior as been friendly although over 26% of mothers perceived the health worker as rude. Mothers also felt that maternity care should be free of charge and that maternity centers should be built in the villages to avoid moving long distances when going for ANC and delivery. Conclusion: This study revealed that age, parity, and cost of care influence the utilization of maternity services in Apopong Sub County. On the other hand long distance and low education levels were not barriers to utilization of maternity services. The mothers knowledge of the importance of delivering from maternity or health facility and good health workers attitudes towards mothers in the maternity, positively influenced the utilization of maternity care services. Recommendations: Midwives and doctors in charge of maternal health need to equip themselves with good customer care services skills so that they can positively influence and change pregnant mothers’ attitudes towards health professionals and service delivery.

Background Safe male circumcision is a medical procedure believed to reduce the risk of female to male HIV transmission. However, its‘ uptake is still low in some communities due to a several factors. In this study, the prevalence and factors associated with the uptake of safe male circumcision among youth living in fishing villages of Siaya County was done. Results from this study may be useful in advocating for strategies that may improve the uptake of safe male circumcision among the youths. Methods This was a cross sectional study on 228 youths. Data on uptake of safe male circumcision and factors associated with its uptake was obtained from the respondents using questionnaire-based interviews. Chi square tests were used to determine the association between the uptake of safe male circumcision and associated factors. P values and their 95 % confidence intervals were calculated. For all statistical tests a P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results The prevalence of uptake of safe male circumcision among the youth living in the lake side villages of Siaya County was 67%. Various factors were significantly associated with uptake of SMC; these included social demographic factors such as age, religion, marital status, type of housing, main source of income and monthly income. Awareness of SMC, source of information on SMC, knowledge on the benefits, and who influenced one to go for SMC, were significant predictors of SMC. Barriers associated with uptake of SMC and perceptions on the importance of SMC were the sociocultural factors significantly associated with uptake of SMC among the respondents. Conclusion and recommendations The prevalence of uptake of safe male circumcision among the youth living in the lake side villages of Siaya County was 67%. This percentage has not changed from the earlier reported prevalence of uptake of safe male circumcision in Nyanza (66%) by 2012, depicting stagnation in usage of the procedure. Therefore, County and national task forces should be setup to conduct robust sensitization campaigns that are focused on educating health workers,political and traditional leaders, youths and the media about safe male circumcision, its benefits and its relation to HIV prevention. This may promote the uptake of SMC services among the youth and older men. Additionally, circumcision services need to be more robust and tailored to fit the preferences of even the remaining population that is not circumcised. And leave should be issued and due compensation given to encourage the procedure.

Introduction: Levels of awareness and knowledge about, HIV/AIDS vary widely around the world. According to recent surveys from over 40 countries, more than half of young people most at risk—those aged 15–24—have serious misconceptions about how the virus is transmitted (UNAIDS, 2004) and in 21 countries in sub-Saharan Africa more than 60 % of young women have not heard of the virus and have a lot of misconceptions about how it is spread. Objective: To determine influence of media campaign on HIV/AIDS awareness among adolescents in government secondary schools a case study of Tororo Municipality. Method: This was a cross sectional descriptive and analytical study design that involved 406 respondents sampled from 4 government secondary schools in Tororo municipality. The study involved both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. The data collected was entered in epidata and exported to SPSS v16 for analysis. The study measured both exposure (media) and outcome (student response to the media information on awareness and HIV/AIDS prevention strategies). The dependent variable was measured on three outcomes; high, moderate and low level of HIV/AIDS awareness. For numerical variables, the outcome measurement (level of HIV/AIDS awareness) was nominal on three scales; high (coded ―2‖), moderate (coded ―1‖) and low (coded ―0‖). As a result, the multinominal logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between media sources and level of HIV/AIDS awareness. Results are expressed in odds ratios (OR) with the associated 95% confidence intervals and probability values (p-values). P-values less than 5% at bivariate analysis were considered statistically significant as well as at multivariate analysis. For qualitative data, content analysis was used and results formulated into quotations. The quotations were use to explain findings in the quantitative analysis. Results: The main media sources used for HIV/AIDS information were radios (47.19%), newspapers (16.33%), television (20.41%) and the internet (16.07%). 18.58% of the adolescent students had high level of HIV/AIDS awareness, 52.42% had moderate level of HIV/AIDS awareness and 29.01% had low level of HIV/AIDS awareness. There was a significant association between media sources and level of HIV/AIDS awareness (Chi-squared test (DF=6, n=392), p=0.019). Internet preference was associated with increased likelihood of low (aOR=4.97, 95%CI: 1.94-12.75, p=0.001) and moderate (aOR=2.38, 95%CI: 1.05-5.39, p=0.038) level of HIV/AIDS awareness compared to radio. However, the use of school curriculum (aOR=0.25, 95%CI: 0.07-0.88, p=0.03) and medical education (aOR=0.32, 95%CI: 0.18-0.59, p=<0.001) were significantly associated with decreased moderate levels of HIV/AIDS awareness compared to peer education. Conclusion: Level of HIV/AIDS awareness was acceptably good. Radios remain the commonest and preferred media source for HIV/AIDS awareness in secondary schools and it needs to be promoted over other media sources to promote and enhance HIV/AIDS awareness. The inclusion of HIV/AIDS in the curriculum remains another option for enhancing HIV/AIDS knowledge in secondary

Background: Absenteeism of health workers is a great concern because it disorganizes the routine of work which causes overburdens to workers that are present hence consequently lowering the quality of patient health care in the hospital. Absenteeism among health workers has become a problematic issue. Absenteeism is a problem all over the world and a solution cannot be easily found. Absenteeism is one of the major causes of poor productivity and time wastage faced not only by South Sudan but also by health sectors worldwide. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine factors influencing absenteeism of health workers from workplace in Juba Teaching Hospital from April to July, 2015. Method: A descriptive cross sectional study was employed to assess factors influencing absenteeism of health workers from workplace in Juba Teaching Hospital from April to July, 2015. A total of 226health workers from the hospital were included in this study using non probability, convenient sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Result: From the assessment done, age (X2=3.844, P=0.000), Marital status of the respondents (X2=11.774, P=0.001), qualification of the respondents (X2=23.816, P=0.000) work department of the respondents (X2=18.595, P=0.000), year of working experience at the hospital (X2=17.420, P=0.004), chronic condition(X2=30.847, P=0.000), having any of the physical minor ailments or chronic conditions kept you off duty in the last one month (X2=65.934, P=0.002), having family members to look after(X2=45.285, P=0.003), easy movement from place of residence to the hospital (X2=1.673, P=0.000), cost involved to move from place of residence to the hospital (X2=14.742, P=0.000), freedom to make independent decisions while performing duties (X2=90.320, P=0.002), teams work at workplace (X2=65.457, P=0.000), insufficient orientation on job undertaking (X2=39.970, P=0.000), overall workload (X2=11.839, P=0.030), accommodation within the hospital premises (X2=21.630, P=000), promotions in the hospital (X2=72.148, P=004), range of your salary income per month (X2=49.711, P=000), and distance between the hospital and your place of residence (X2=67.034, P=001) had a significant association with absenteeism from duty Conclusion: Age, marital status, qualification (level of education), work department and year of working experience at the hospital, Having a chronic condition, having physical minor ailments or chronic conditions, having family members to look after, easiness to move from place of residence to the hospital and cost involved to move from place of residence to the hospital, Freedom to make independent decisions while performing duties, teams work at workplace, sufficient orientation on job undertaking, overall workload accommodation within the hospital premises, promotions in the hospital range of your salary income per month, and distance between the hospital and your place of residence were found to play a crucial role in the missing duty among the health workers. Thus, clear attendance policy, guideline and clear attendance expectations for all the health workers in the hospital.

Background: Insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) have been shown to significantly reduce malaria-related morbidity which is one of the causes of child mortality across a range of transmission settings in Africa. With increased funding from international donors, efforts are currently underway to roll-out ITNs to vulnerable populations at risk of malaria across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), particularly children younger than 5 years old and pregnant women. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and factors affecting acceptable utilization of insecticides treated mosquito nets among the community of Bobi Sub-county, Omoro District from October to November 2018 Method: A descriptive cross sectional study was employed to investigate the prevalence and factors affecting acceptable utilization of insecticides treated mosquito nets among the community of Bobi Sub-county, Omoro District from October to November 2018. A total of 100 community members from three parishes in Bobi sub-county were included in this study using multi stage method of sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: From the assessment done, the level of utilization of the ITNs was at 64.4% among the community members. religion, marital status, level of education, occupation, number of household member, residence, number of people living in a room, household having radio or TV, family income, decision maker and availability of ITN, having ITN, number of nets in the household and knowledge on how to put the net before use every night (P<0.05). Conclusion: The findings highlight the need for educational, informational and improving on the socio-economic status interventions of the respondents to address the factors that influence ITN utilization in pregnancy.

This study was designed to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices of deciduous canine tooth-bud extraction among mothers in Iceme sub-county, Oyam district. It is one of the harmful traditional practices which involve gouging out an infant‟s healthy baby canine tooth buds embedded underneath the gums, using unsterile tools and without anesthesia by traditional healers to cure fever, diarrhea, and vomiting among children under two years Simple random sampling was used to get a total of 220 mothers with children under two years old. Quantitative survey data was collected by the use of interviewer-administered questionnaires, and focus group discussion was used to gather qualitative data, and results analyzed using epi-info version 5. Results showed that almost every child in Iceme community went through DCTE. There was lack of knowledge on the cause of deciduous canine tooth-bud among mothers, and the most associated symptom to the condition was fever. Majority of people strongly believed death as the consequence of not doing DCTE, and hence need for the practice to continue, and be supported This call for concerted effort from the Ministry of health and other agencies geared towards halting this harmful traditional practice by changing peoples‟ attitude and behavior. This can be achieved through community-based campaign to increase on peoples‟ knowledge on the normal features in the oral cavity associated with DCTE myth in children, and the harmful effect of this practice on the quality of life in children. There is also need for increasing awareness of DCTE practice among dentists and other health professionals through regular Continuous Medical Education (CME), and comprehensive management of children with DCTE complication

General objective: The overall aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of women and men regarding breast cancer and screening at Antenatal Clinic, Mulago Hospital. Methodology: The study was a cross-sectional design. One hundred and forty five (145) respondents were included by means of simple random sampling and a researcher administered questionnaire was used to collect information from the respondents for 9 days. Results: Most (44.8%) of respondents identified positive family history as a potential risk factor for developing breast cancer, 65.5% stated that lump in the breast was a sign/symptom related to breast cancer, Clinical Breast Examination by a doctor as indicated by (75.9%), 96.6% did not know the age at which Breast Self Examination should be started, 98.6% had no idea on how to perform Breast Self Examination, 92.4%) of the respondents did not know the frequency of practicing Breast Self Examination, 94.5% had no idea on the frequency of Clinical Breast Examination and 97.2% of the respondents did not have any idea on the recommended age for starting mammography examination. Majority (88.3%) would consult the doctor if they developed breast cancer, 44.8% would see a doctor within one week if they developed breast lump, 51.7% of the respondents were unsure of the risk for developing breast cancer, 71.7% believed that they did not have any risk factors for breast cancer, 51.7% believed that breast cancer was not curable and 55.9% of the respondents supported the statement that long time survival is rare due to breast cancer. Majority (96.6%) had never practiced Breast Self Examination, 97.2% had never undergone Clinical Breast Examination and all respondents (100%) had never undergone mammography examination. Conclusion: Respondents in this study lacked adequate knowledge, had poor attitude and inappropriate practice about breast cancer and screening. The main barrier to breast cancer screening was lack of information, having no breast problem, not having visible signs and symptoms of breast cancer and associated cost among others. Recommendation: Awareness campaigns and subsidizing the costs for clinical breast examination and mammography by Ministry of Health would improve survival from breast cancer. Involving all people in this awareness will greatly improve the current situation.