Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract NACNDC/19JASH042 (Poster B26) | Published: 24 Nov 2025
Andrew Kigongo1,&, Ian Ssenyonga Ssebulime1
1Padre Pio Rural Development Initiative (PAPIRUDEI), Kyotera District, Uganda
&Corresponding author: Andrew Kigongo, Padre Pio Rural Development Initiative (PAPIRUDEI), Kyotera District, Uganda. Email: andrewkigongo013@gmail.com
Received: 13 Sept 2025, Accepted: 20 Oct 2025, Published: 24 Nov 2025
Domain: Non-communicable diseases
Keywords: Awareness, Uptake, Non communicable diseases, PAPIRUDEI, Outreaches
©Andrew Kigongo 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: Andrew Kigongo et al Increasing awareness and screening uptake for non-communicable diseases among adults aged 40+ years in Lwankoni sub-county, Kyotera District, Uganda. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc6):00042. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO6-00042
NCDs pose a significant public health challenge in Uganda, particularly in rural areas with limited resources and access to screening and care services. St. Padre-Pio hospital opened in March 2025 noticed a significant number of NCD cases (new and old) among adults aged 40+ years during the initial operations and inaugural outreach activities. The finding prompted a launch of a targeted implementation project aimed at increasing awareness and screening uptake for NCDs among this population in Lwankoni Sub County.
Engaging stakeholders, i.e., DHT, JMS, community & religious leaders. Community and facility health workers conduct awareness and mobilization in households and public spaces, and also utilize megaphones, community radio, and other platforms to health educate and mobilize the population for screening services. Free non-invasive screening services are provided at the hospital and outreaches while treatment and invasive screening costs are subsidized. Prompt referrals are made for further/specialized care and adherence follow ups.
Between May and August 2025, 473 individuals (258F, 215M) were screened at the hospital, 185 (39%) identified with one or more NCD, with 12 (6%) new cases. Additionally, 123 individuals (79F, 44M) screened through outreaches, 43 (35%) found to have NCDs, including 11 (25%) new cases. Cases were cardiovascular diseases (56%), MSS diseases (29%), Diabetes (6%), BPH (4%) and others (5%). The awareness increased demand for NCD screening and treatment services, with a notable surge in hospital walk-in clients and outreaches’ involvement.
The project found a 38% NCD prevalence with a 10% incidence, outreaches were more effective in detecting new cases (25%) compared to hospital-based screenings (6%), and more females were screened. All clients are receiving treatment, some referred to other facilities and for specialized care. Screening, awareness, adherence follow up, male engagement, routine data review and analysis continue to inform implementation decisions and adaptability.
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