Health Status of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Uganda
Author Information
Author(s): Bayard Roberts, Kaducu Felix Ocaka, John Browne, Thomas Oyok, Egbert Sondorp
Primary Institution: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Hypothesis
What factors are associated with the mental and physical health status of internally displaced persons in northern Uganda?
Conclusion
The study highlights the negative impact of deprivation of basic goods and services, traumatic events, and fear on the health of displaced populations.
Supporting Evidence
- 1206 interviews were completed with a response rate of 94%.
- Mean PCS and MCS scores were 42.2 and 39.3, indicating poor health.
- Women had lower health scores than men.
- Over half of respondents met criteria for PTSD and depression.
Takeaway
This study shows that people who have been forced to leave their homes because of conflict are often very unhealthy, and many things like not having enough food or feeling scared make it worse.
Methodology
A cross-sectional survey was conducted using the SF-8 instrument to measure physical and mental health, with multivariate regression analysis to investigate associations.
Potential Biases
Potential underreporting of trauma due to sensitive nature of questions and gender of interviewers.
Limitations
The cross-sectional design limits causal inferences, and there may have been underreporting of sensitive traumatic events due to interviewer gender mismatch.
Participant Demographics
The sample included 60% women, with a mean age of 35 years, predominantly Acholi ethnic group, and many had been displaced for over 5 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI 41.32 to 43.10 for PCS, 95% CI 38.42 to 40.13 for MCS
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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