Understanding child disability: Factors associated with child disability at the Iganga-Mayuge Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in Uganda

Authors

Nukhba Zia, Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Abdulgafoor M. Bachani, Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Dan Kajungu, Iganga-Mayuge Health and Demographic Surveillance Site, Makerere University School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda.
Edward Galiwango, Iganga-Mayuge Health and Demographic Surveillance Site, Makerere University School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda.
Mitchell Loeb, Washington Group on Disability Statistics, Hyattsville, Maryland, United States of America.
Marie Diener-West, Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Stephen Wegener, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Division of Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
George Pariyo, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Adnan A. Hyder, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

1-1-2022

Journal

PloS one

Volume

17

Issue

4

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0267182

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: There is scarcity of data on children with disabilities living in low-and-middle-income countries, including Uganda. This study describes disability prevalence and explores factors associated with different disability categories. It highlights the value of using a standardized, easy-to-use tool to determine disability in children and contextualizing disability in children in light of their developmental needs. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2018-January 2019 at the Iganga-Mayuge Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in Uganda. Respondents were caregivers of children between 5-17 years and were administered an in-depth Child Functioning Module (CFM). The outcome variable, disability, was defined as an ordered categorical variable with three categories-mild, moderate, and severe. Generalized ordered logit model was applied to explore factors associated with disability categories. RESULTS: Out of 1,842 caregivers approached for the study, 1,439 (response: 78.1%) agreed to participate in the study. Out of these 1,439, some level of disability was reported by 67.89% (n = 977) of caregivers. Of these 977 children with disability, 48.01% (n = 692) had mild disability and 15.84% (n = 228) had moderate disability, while 3.96% (n = 57) had severe disability. The mean (SD) score for mild disability was 2.22±1.17, with a median of 2. The mean and median for moderate disability was 5.26±3.28 and 4 (IQR:3-6), and for severe disability was 14.23±9.51 and 12 (IQR:6-22). The most common disabilities reported were depression (54.83%) and anxiety (50.87%). Statistically significant association was found for completion of immunization status and school enrollment when controlled for a child's age, sex, having a primary caregiver, age of mother at child's birth, family system, family size and household wealth quintile. CONCLUSION: This study suggests association between incomplete immunization status and school enrollment for children with disability. These are areas for further exploration to ensure inclusive health and inclusive education of children with disabilities in Uganda.

APA Citation

Zia, Nukhba; Bachani, Abdulgafoor M.; Kajungu, Dan; Galiwango, Edward; Loeb, Mitchell; Diener-West, Marie; Wegener, Stephen; Pariyo, George; and Hyder, Adnan A., "Understanding child disability: Factors associated with child disability at the Iganga-Mayuge Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in Uganda" (2022). GW Authored Works. Paper 794.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/794

Department

Global Health