Don’t Give Up: The TOPOWA Study of Mental Health Trajectories among Young Women in Kampala, Uganda
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Mental and Social Health
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Uganda has the highest alcohol consumption rates and other substances of abuse in sub-Saharan Africa, especially among young people. Substances use among adolescent girls and young women (AGYWs) pose a major threat to their health and education in urban slums. Studies have shown that, due to cultural and social norms, alcohol and illicit drug use may be underreported among AGYWs. The study presents baseline findings on the prevalence of recent substance use among AGYWs in the urban slums of Kampala city. In August 2023, a total of 300 AGYWs, ages 18 to 24, were recruited across three slum areas in Kampala, as part of an observational prospective cohort study to examine the effect of vocational training on the mechanistic pathways of mental illness (TOPOWA). As part of the baseline assessment, participants were asked to complete an interviewer-administered survey as well as provide a urine sample to test for metabolites of 16 different drugs, including alcohol (EtG), amphetamine (AMP), methamphetamine (MET), opiates (OPI), and marijuana and cannabis (THC) using the rapid urine drug screen kits. The urine screen indicated that the most prevalent of the detected substances of use was alcohol metabolite (Ethyl glucuronide (EtG)), with 10% (30) of women having consumed it within the past 72 hours, followed by cannabis or marijuana (THC), with 4.0% (12) testing positive. Only two women tested positive for benzodiazepines; one woman tested positive for tramadol; and another woman tested positive for methamphetamine. Alcohol use and cannabis were the most consumed substances. The prevalence of recent use of the other drugs of abuse examined in this screening was relatively low in this population. However, it is of urgent concern if drugs such as benzodiazepines, tramadol, and methamphetamines are used without a prescription and are accessible in the community.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
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Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Monica Swahn
Additional Faculty
Godfrey Bbosa, godfossa@gmail.com
Rachel Culbreth, rachel.culbreth@acmt.net
Mubiru Frank, mubiruf09@gmail.com
Matovu Gideon, giram010@gmail.com
Don’t Give Up: The TOPOWA Study of Mental Health Trajectories among Young Women in Kampala, Uganda
Uganda has the highest alcohol consumption rates and other substances of abuse in sub-Saharan Africa, especially among young people. Substances use among adolescent girls and young women (AGYWs) pose a major threat to their health and education in urban slums. Studies have shown that, due to cultural and social norms, alcohol and illicit drug use may be underreported among AGYWs. The study presents baseline findings on the prevalence of recent substance use among AGYWs in the urban slums of Kampala city. In August 2023, a total of 300 AGYWs, ages 18 to 24, were recruited across three slum areas in Kampala, as part of an observational prospective cohort study to examine the effect of vocational training on the mechanistic pathways of mental illness (TOPOWA). As part of the baseline assessment, participants were asked to complete an interviewer-administered survey as well as provide a urine sample to test for metabolites of 16 different drugs, including alcohol (EtG), amphetamine (AMP), methamphetamine (MET), opiates (OPI), and marijuana and cannabis (THC) using the rapid urine drug screen kits. The urine screen indicated that the most prevalent of the detected substances of use was alcohol metabolite (Ethyl glucuronide (EtG)), with 10% (30) of women having consumed it within the past 72 hours, followed by cannabis or marijuana (THC), with 4.0% (12) testing positive. Only two women tested positive for benzodiazepines; one woman tested positive for tramadol; and another woman tested positive for methamphetamine. Alcohol use and cannabis were the most consumed substances. The prevalence of recent use of the other drugs of abuse examined in this screening was relatively low in this population. However, it is of urgent concern if drugs such as benzodiazepines, tramadol, and methamphetamines are used without a prescription and are accessible in the community.