PREVALENCE AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH POOR PHARMACEUTICAL WASTE DISPOSAL PRACTICES AMONG HOUSEHOLDS IN NANSANA MUNICIPALITY, WAKISO DISTRICT, UGANDA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

HERI LEMBA; Joseph KB  Matovu; David  Musoke

doi:10.51168/sjhrafrica.v5i12.1408

Authors

HERI LEMBA Makerere University School of Public Health
Joseph KB Matovu Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health, Makerere University School of Public Health, P. O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda
David Musoke Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health, Makerere University School of Public Health, P. O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51168/sjhrafrica.v5i12.1408

Keywords:

Prevalence, associated factors, households, take-back programmes, pollution, AMR

Abstract

Introduction

The rising demand for pharmaceuticals globally raises concerns about poor disposal of pharmaceutical waste. Pharmaceutical waste lacks clear guidelines for its management, contributing to environmental pollution and high healthcare costs. While some countries implement effective pharmaceutical waste policies, many developing nations including Uganda, face challenges due to insufficient awareness, regulations, and infrastructure. This study determined the prevalence and factors associated with poor pharmaceutical waste disposal practices in Nansana Municipality Wakiso District, Uganda.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 399 households in Nansana Municipality. Stratified sampling was conducted across the four divisions of Nansana Municipality, and a random selection of respondents was made. Data was gathered using a structured questionnaire that included demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and pharmaceutical waste disposal practices. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariable modified Poisson regression analyses identified the prevalence and factors associated with poor pharmaceutical waste disposal.

Results

The study revealed that 72.2% of Nansana Municipality households used poor pharmaceutical waste disposal, predominantly using toilets (91%). Several factors were significantly associated with poor pharmaceutical waste disposal practices in Nansana Municipality. Respondents aged ≥ 30 years were 1.33 times more likely to engage in poor disposal compared to those aged 20-25 years (APR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.15-1.54). Household monthly income above USD 137 was linked to a lower likelihood of poor pharmaceutical waste disposal (APR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.59-0.98).

Conclusion

The study found a high prevalence of poor pharmaceutical waste disposal in Nansana Municipality, Wakiso District Uganda. Given the influence of age, gender, education, and income on these behaviors, public health strategies must combine educational, economic, and infrastructural measures for effective impact.

Recommendation

Implementing voluntary take-back programs, enforcing producer responsibility for eco-friendly packaging, and raising public awareness of safe pharmaceutical waste disposal are needed.

Author Biographies

HERI LEMBA, Makerere University School of Public Health

holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Health Science from Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), Kampala-Uganda. He has supported in various research activities in qualitative and quantitative data collection as well as analysis within and outside the school. He was a member of Elevate Research and Health Services Uganda where he served as an ICT and Public Relations Secretary to the secretariat team. He also participated in the organization of the 19^th MUEHSA Annual Scientific Conference where he designed a digital certificate issuing system to send certificates to the conference attendants. He has also participated in a number of community outreach programmes, within the slum communities of Kampala, where the urge to study pharmaceutical waste disposal arose from. This paper therefore develops from his undergraduate research in partial fulfilment for the award of the Bachelors Degree of Environmental Health Science of Makerere University.

Joseph KB Matovu, Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health, Makerere University School of Public Health, P. O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda

is a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health at MakSPH, Kampala, Uganda, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Community and Public Health at Busitema University Faculty of Health Sciences, Mbale, Uganda. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Social Administration from Makerere University (Kampala, Uganda); a Master of Health Science (MHS) in International Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public Health from Makerere University. His research interests include HIV prevention research (with a particular focus on HIV self-testing and the use of social networks to improve HIV prevention advocacy), sexual and reproductive health (cervical cancer screening, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, and FP-HIV integration), social and behaviour change communication, urban health, implementation science, and the integration of social and behavioural sciences into epidemiologic research. He is a peer reviewer with many international scientific journals; an Associate Editor with AIDS and Behaviour and BMC Public Health journals; a Guest Associate Editor with Frontiers in Public Health journal and an Academic Editor with PLoS ONE. He is a mixed methods specialist with over 100 peer-reviewed, scientific papers; over 50 conference presentations, and a book chapter.

David Musoke, Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health, Makerere University School of Public Health, P. O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda

is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health at Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), Kampala, Uganda. He holds a Bachelor of Environmental Health Sciences from Makerere University, Uganda. MSc in International Primary Health Care from University of London (University College London), UK, and a PhD in Public Health from Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK. He is also an Affiliate Member of the African Academy of Sciences. His research is on environmental health (including WASH), health systems / services (such as maternal health, mental health, health seeking behaviour and human resources for health particularly community health workers - CHWs), and diseases (such as malaria, non-communicable diseases, and COVID-19). He is a member of many professional associations including Health Systems Global (HSG). Currently, he is Co-Chair of the CHWs Thematic Working Group of HSG, as well as President Elect of the International Federation of Environmental Health.. He is an Academic Editor for the following journals: PLOS Global Public Health; BMC Public Health; and BMC Health Services Research. He has over 100 peer reviewed publications and 100 international conference presentations He is also a Senior Visiting Fellow at Nottingham Trent University (UK), as well as External Examiner at the University of Malawi (Malawi), Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Kenya), National University of Science and Technology (Zimbabwe), Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi (Uganda), and Visiting Lecturer at Nkumba University (Uganda).

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