Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract NACNDC/19JASH00008 (Oral) | Published: 17 Nov 2025
Eva Gakumba Kadimba1,&, James Mwesigwa Lwanga1, David Balikitenda1, Irene Nakiriggya1, Christine Navugga1, Immaculate Kemigisha1, Tonny Tumwesigye1, Hillary Alima1
1Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau (UPMB), Kampala, Uganda
&Corresponding author: James Mwesigwa Lwanga, Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau (UPMB) Email: jmwesigwa@upmb.co.ug
Received: 18 Aug 2025, Accepted: 20 Oct 2025, Published: 17 Nov 2025
Domain: Public Health
Keywords: Religious leader engagement, Sustainability, Health gains
©Eva Gakumba Kadimba et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Eva Gakumba Kadimba et al. Accelerating and sustaining public health gains of non-communicable disease interventions in health facilities, through engagement of religious leaders under the Protestant Churches of Uganda. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc6):00008. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO6-00008
Uganda faces a significant and rising NCD burden, with over 40% of all deaths and a 22% probability of premature death for adults between 30-70 years. NCDs are driven by risk factors such as alcohol use, unhealthy diets, tobacco use, and physical inactivity. The burden is growing, with hypertension affecting 24-27% of adults and requiring attention to ensure access to care and manage risk factors. Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau (UPMB) utilises religious leaders under the Protestant churches of Uganda as one of the essential structures to increase education and awareness of NCDs, associated risk factors and lifestyle modification, to improve rates of screening, diagnosis, treatment and control. Efforts aim at contributing to the MOH goal of reducing premature deaths due to NCDs by 25% by 2030.
Project 1: > 1.59 million screened for hypertension=129% Vs target; > 28.4% identified with elevated BP of 58% diagnosed with hypertension; More screening among females Vs Males; HTN prevalence= 28% male Vs 30% Female; Urinalysis= 110,824 screened & 18,070 had proteinuria 2+ =16% prevalence; Creatinine= 37,935 screened & 3,882 had eGFR < 60= 10% prevalence; >136,469 patients actively retained in care (96,645 HTN, 29592 DM & 10,232 for CKD); Project 2: 377,910 reached with information through 6,895 sessions. Retained in care: HTN= 16,576; DM= 9,913. Prevalence: HTN= 28%; DM= 14%; Breast= 20%
To accelerate and sustain the gains of NCD interventions, tapping into the trusted influence of religious leaders enables them to educate congregations in places of worship and at community events, enhances referrals for health care, provides spiritual and emotional support, and advocates & influences policy. These endeavours empower communities with more vigilance towards adopting healthier lifestyles, seeking routine screenings for early detection and timely management of NCDs, thus averting complications.
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