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Background: Globally, the prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases (C-NCDs) and occurrence of multi-morbidity specifically, has been increasing and will continue to rise as life expectancy increases. The burden of mental health disorders has also been rising globally. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), literature on these health issues, which are interrelated, is scarce. This study assesses the prevalence of C-NCDs, and depressive and anxiety symptomology and examines the relationship between these issues among a sample of older adults in Uganda., Methods: Between 2021-2022, 604 consenting adults aged 35 years and older were surveyed on a broad range of health issues for the ongoing AMBSO Population Health Surveillance (APHS) cohort study in Wakiso district. Descriptive analyses were performed to characterize the burden of C-NCDs (e.g. diabetes, hypertension), depression (PHQ-9 using a cutoff of <5 scores for minimal/no and 5+ for mild to severe symptomology) and anxiety (GAD-7 using a cutoff of 5+ scores for mild to severe symptomology). Bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression models were built using STATA software version 16.0 to examine associations between mental health disorders and having at least one C-NCD. Our exposures of interest were depressive and anxiety symptoms and our outcomes of interest was presence of C-NCDs., Results: Majority of participants were females (63.6%), median age was 46 (IQR: 39-54). Any C-NCDs prevalence was 18.7%, while 18.9% and 11.4%, had screening scores indicative of depressive and anxiety symptomology, respectively. Three percent (3.2%) had PHQ-9 scores indicative of moderate to severe depressive symptomology. In models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, there was 12% increased odds of suffering from C-NCDs for every unit increase in PHQ-9 score (AOR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.10-1.20). Participants with any anxiety symptoms had 2.1 greater odds of suffering from C-NCD compared to those who did not have anxiety symptoms (AOR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.21-3.70)., Conclusion: C-NCDs were prevalent in older adults, particularly among those experiencing mental health symptoms. Screening for C-NCDs and mental health disorders should be integrated into routine health care for older adults in the country. Early screening and identification of these health issues through primary health care could significantly reduce the public health burden attributable to mental health disorders and the incidence of multi-morbidity in Uganda., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © 2024 Bulamba et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: Uganda confirmed its first COVID-19 case in March 2020, leading to country-wide closures and a stay-at-home order. Infectious disease pandemics can overwhelm adaptive coping capacity (e.g., general self-efficacy and resilience) and increase the risk for mental distress. For individuals experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) and cohabitating with a perpetrator, stay-at-home orders can also increase risk of violence, which can further exacerbate mental distress. The present study explores women's perceived self-efficacy and resilient coping, mental health outcomes (depression and COVID-19 related anxiety), hazardous alcohol use and IPV in the context of Uganda's national 2020 lockdown., Methods: A phone-based survey was undertaken from June-August of 2020 in Wakiso District, Uganda. The study sample consisted of Africa Medical and Behavioral Sciences Organization (AMBSO) Population Health Surveillance (APHS) study participants who agreed to be contacted for future research. The analytic sample was restricted to women aged 13-80 years. Bivariate analysis and multivariable models explored associations between experiences of IPV and measures of adaptive coping, mental health and alcohol use., Results: A total of 556 women aged 13-79 years (mean age of 33.4 years) participated. Over half (55%) were currently married. The majority (60%) reported a decrease in alcohol use during the lockdown. Nearly half of the sample were experiencing physical or verbal IPV and reported an increase in violence during the lockdown. In adjusted analysis, alcohol use was associated with four times greater odds of recent physical IPV (aOR 4.06, 95% CI = 1.65-10.02, p = 0.0024), while participants had lower odds of experiencing any form of IPV as general self-efficacy increased (aOR 0.95, 95% CI = 0.91-0.99, p = 0.0308)., Conclusion: Lockdown measures in Uganda may have mitigated increased alcohol consumption. IPV was exacerbated during lockdown; more than 2 in 5 IPV victims experienced increased physical or verbal violence. Development of programming and policies aimed at mitigating women's risk of IPV during future lockdowns are needed., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Mental health disorders account for a heavy disease burden in Uganda. In order to provide culturally appropriate mental health prevention and treatment approaches, it is necessary to understand how mental health is conceptualized in the population. Three focus group discussions (FGDs) and 31 in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with men and women aged 14 to 62 years residing in rural, urban, and semi-urban low-income communities in central and western Uganda to explore perceptions and knowledge of mental health. Interpretive thematic analysis was undertaken; results were organized through the lens of the mental health literacy framework. Environmental and societal stressors were identified as primary underlying causes of poor mental health. While participants recognized symptoms of poor mental health, gaps in mental health literacy also emerged. Mental health resources are needed in this setting and additional qualitative work assessing knowledge and attitudes toward mental health care seeking behavior can inform the development of acceptable integrated services.