Community health workers' involvement in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in Wakiso District, Uganda

Abstract Background Community health workers (CHWs) are an important cadre of the global health workforce as they are involved in providing health services at the community level. However, evidence on the role of CHWs in delivering interventions for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Uganda is limi...

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Main Authors: David Musoke (Author), Edwinah Atusingwize (Author), Deborah Ikhile (Author), Sarah Nalinya (Author), Charles Ssemugabo (Author), Grace Biyinzika Lubega (Author), Damilola Omodara (Author), Rawlance Ndejjo (Author), Linda Gibson (Author)
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Published: BMC, 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z.
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042 |a dc 
100 1 0 |a David Musoke  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Edwinah Atusingwize  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Deborah Ikhile  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Sarah Nalinya  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Charles Ssemugabo  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Grace Biyinzika Lubega  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Damilola Omodara  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Rawlance Ndejjo  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Linda Gibson  |e author 
245 0 0 |a Community health workers' involvement in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in Wakiso District, Uganda 
260 |b BMC,   |c 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z. 
500 |a 10.1186/s12992-020-00653-5 
500 |a 1744-8603 
520 |a Abstract Background Community health workers (CHWs) are an important cadre of the global health workforce as they are involved in providing health services at the community level. However, evidence on the role of CHWs in delivering interventions for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Uganda is limited. This study, therefore, assessed the involvement of CHWs in the prevention and control of NCDs in Wakiso District, Uganda with a focus on their knowledge, attitudes and practices, as well as community perceptions. Methods A cross-sectional study using mixed methods was conducted which involved a structured questionnaire among 485 CHWs, and 6 focus group discussions (FGDs) among community members. The study assessed knowledge, perceptions including the importance of the various risk factors, and the current involvement of CHWs in NCDs, including the challenges they faced. Quantitative data were analysed in STATA version 13.0 while thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data. Results The majority of CHWs (75.3%) correctly defined what NCDs are. Among CHWs who knew examples of NCDs (87.4%), the majority mentioned high blood pressure (77.1%), diabetes (73.4%) and cancer (63.0%). Many CHWs said that healthy diet (86.2%), physical activity (77.7%), avoiding smoking/tobacco use (70.9%), and limiting alcohol consumption (63.7%) were very important to prevent NCDs. Although more than half of the CHWs (63.1%) reported being involved in NCDs activities, only 20.9 and 20.6% had participated in community mobilisation and referral of patients respectively. The majority of CHWs (80.1%) who were involved in NCDs prevention and control reported challenges including inadequate knowledge (58.4%), lack of training (37.6%), and negative community perception towards NCDs (35.1%). From the FGDs, community members were concerned that CHWs did not have enough training on NCDs hence lacked enough information. Therefore, the community did not have much confidence in them regarding NCDs, hence rarely consulted them concerning these diseases. Conclusions Despite CHWs having some knowledge on NCDs and their risk factors, their involvement in the prevention and control of the diseases was low. Through enhanced training and community engagement, CHWs can contribute to the prevention and control of NCDs, including health education and community mobilisation. 
546 |a EN 
690 |a Community health workers 
690 |a Non-communicable diseases 
690 |a Risk factors 
690 |a Knowledge 
690 |a Attitudes 
690 |a Practices 
690 |a Public aspects of medicine 
690 |a RA1-1270 
655 7 |a article  |2 local 
786 0 |n Globalization and Health, Vol 17, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2021) 
787 0 |n https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-020-00653-5 
787 0 |n https://doaj.org/toc/1744-8603 
856 4 1 |u https://doaj.org/article/ebb6d890c17242d78649e4673c6f1eb3  |z Connect to this object online.