{UAH} GOOK THESE NUMBERS ARE VERY IMPRESSIVE SIR

46% of teenagers in Kampala take alcohol

Teenagers enjoy beer at a hangout recently. A new study has shown that 46% of teenagers aged between 12 and 18 in Kampala take alcohol. PHOTO BY Edgar R. Batte.

By Sandra Janet Birungi

Posted Saturday, June 7 2014 at 01:00

In Summary

A new study says about half of the teenagers in Kampala slums take alcohol and nearly the same number have their first sexual act before the age of 14.

Kampala.

About half of the teenagers aged between 12 and 18 in Kampala slums take alcohol and nearly the same number have their first sexual act before the age of 14, a new study says.

The study “High risk study among slum youths in Kampala City” was conducted by Uganda Youth Development Link (UYDEL) among 1,134 individuals in selected slums in Kampala. The study found that 46 per cent of the youths aged between 12 and 18 take alcohol while 42 per cent had their first sexual intercourse at age 14.

“High-risk youth living in the slums of Kampala report a high prevalence of HIV and HIV-related sexual risk practices as well as sexual victimisation. These results provide evidence that increased comprehensive and multi-level prevention and intervention services focus on this vulnerable population in trying to delay their alcohol use and address the underlying determinants of substance use to reduce the spread of HIV/Aids,” the report observes.

Ms Monica Swahn, professor of epidemiology at Georgia State University in the US, who presented the findings of the study, said there is a link between alcohol consumption and sexual activities.

“When people drink alcohol, their judgment is clouded which means more sex, more sexual partners and a high possibility of no condom use. Thirty seven per cent have not used condoms with their partners in the past three months. This increases chances of getting HIV,” Ms Swahn said on Wednesday.

The study further reveals that 18 per cent of the youth were offered free alcohol by a brewery firm, 50 per cent drink more than once a week while 39.6 per cent feel they need a drink in the morning for stability or to get rid of hangover.
The UYDEL Executive Director, Mr Rogers Kasirye, said the high rate of underage alcohol consumption and engagement in sex will escalate HIV/Aids infection.

“In three years, HIV is going to leave the older generation and go back to the youth. The problem is not only alcohol but also housing, mental health and many others. For example, more than 50 per cent of the youth showed signs of sadness and loneliness which is a mental health problem. You also find more than one youth living in one room,” Mr Kasirye said.

Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Fred Enanga, said underage drinking has not been prominent among the social problems although some youth have been remanded for drug consumption.
The absence of a national alcohol policy, according to UYDEL Senior Programme Officer, Mr Rogers Mutaawe, makes it even harder to manage alcohol consumption in the country.

The target

The study was carried out on 1,134 youths. 44 per cent boys, 46 per cent were aged 16 or younger, 41 per cent of participants’ households use one room for sleeping, 22 per cent have lived on the streets, 22 per cent are orphans, 35 per cent Catholic; 33 per cent other Christians and 25 per cent Muslim. The youth lived in urban areas on the streets or in the slums and were aged between 12 and 18. The study was carried out in March and April, 2014.

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