Trends of injuries due to gender based violence, Uganda, 2012 – 2016, a retrospective descriptive analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Gender-based violence (GBV) in Uganda is widespread. The 2012 Uganda Bureau of Statistics report indicated that 60% of Ugandan women experienced GBV, which is approximately twice the global rate. There is paucity of information on epidemiology of injuries due to GBV in Uganda. We studied trends and distribution of injuries due to GBV in Uganda. Methods: We conducted a retrospective descriptive analysis using routinely-collected surveillance data from the Uganda Health Management Information System over five years (2012–2016). We calculated prevalence and annual injury rates due to GBV per 10,000 population and compared them across different population segments and time periods. We used logistic regression to determine trends. Results: In 2016, GBV resulted in 49,842 hospital visits in Uganda. Injury rates due to GBV were 13.5 per 10,000 population for the year 2012, and 13.6 per 10,000 population for 2016. Injury rates declined slightly from 2012 to 2016 (OR: 0.995, 95% CI: 0.991–0.997). In 2016, the odds of injuries due to GBV were 1.36 times in females compared to males (OR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.33–1.38). Northern and Eastern regions (17.4 and 16.9 per 10,000, respectively) had higher GBV-associated injury burden than Central and Western regions (11.0 and 10.1 per 10,000 population, respectively). Conclusion: The incidence of injuries due to GBV in Uganda has not changed meaningfully from 2012 to 2016. We recommend development of interventions for GBV prevention targeting both males and females. There is a need for targeted efforts in the Eastern and Northern region.