Browsing by Author "Beyer, Kirsten"

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    Building capacity for geospatial cancer research in Uganda: a feasibility study
    (The Lancet Global Health, 2019) Beyer, Kirsten; Lukande, Robert; Kasasa, Simon; Kavanya, Gray; Nambooze, Sarah; Amulen, Phoebe; Cassidy, Laura; Tumwesigye, Nazarius; Babikako, Harriet; Anguzu, Ronald; Oyana, Tonny; Wabinga, Henry
    There is a growing epidemic of cancer and other non-communicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. Targeted, specific, cost-effective strategies are needed to manage the growing burden of cancer. In high-resource settings, geospatial analysis has transformed cancer control through geographic targeting of interventions and policies. A similar approach could improve cancer control in sub-Saharan Africa; however, georeferenced cancer data and increased geospatial research capacity are needed. Here, we aimed to assess the feasibility of geocoding and mapping small-area cancer data from a cancer registry in Uganda. We established a partnership including the Makerere University Department of Pathology, School of Public Health and College of Computing and Information Sciences, the Kampala Cancer Registry, Uganda, and the Medical College of Wisconsin, USA. The overarching goal of our multidisciplinary and multi-institutional partnership is to increase geospatial cancer research capacity at Makerere University to enhance the prioritisation and targeting of limited cancer prevention and control resources in Uganda. Two medical students from the Medical College of Wisconsin, mentored by faculty at their own institution and Makerere University, worked in Kampala with registry staff to identify, enter, and quality-check geographic codes of residence for approximately 1522 cervical cancer records from 2005 to 2014. Information about district (n=1520, 99·9%) and subcounty (n=1486, 97·6%) was available for the vast majority of cases, and the parish was identifiable for a large proportion of cases (n=1242, n=81·6%), with increasing availability in more recent years. A seed grant is supporting ongoing capacity building at the Kampala Cancer Registry, including the purchase of new computing hardware and software and the implementation of a revised geographic data collection protocol to support future geospatial analysis of Kampala Cancer Registry data.
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    Examining the Factors Associated With Sexual Violence Against Women in Sierra Leone: A Nationwide Cross Sectional Study
    (Journal of interpersonal violence, 2022) Shour, Abdul Rahman; Anguzu, Ronald; Zhou, Yuhong; Beyer, Kirsten
    In 2019, Sierra Leone declared national emergency over rape and other forms of sexual violence (SV), hence diverting resources from other issues to tackle SV. However, little is known about nationwide risk/protective factors for SV, and this has been a source of critique for the new policy. To fill this gap in knowledge, we investigated the factors for SV toward women using a nationally representative sample. We analyzed the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data, including 16,658 women, aged 15–49 years. The outcome was current SV, defined as being physically forced to have sexual intercourse within the last 12 months. We examined respondent’s background, sexual activities, and experience of domestic violence (DV). Logistic regression analyses were performed using STATA/SE v.15.1, accounting for survey design and sample weights. Values of p less than .05 were considered statistically significant. ArcMap was used to demonstrate geographic distribution of SV cases. We found that about 258 (6.3%) women reported SV. In adjusted analysis, women in the north (than south; 2.88, 95% CI = [1.44, 5.75]) and women circumcised between the ages of 1 and 14 (1.67, 95% CI = [1.10, 2.54]) reported higher risk of SV, respectively. Women who had sex more than 25 times per year were 6.9 times more likely to report SV, compared with those with 1 to 24 times (6.91, 95% CI = [1.48, 32.19]). The odds of SV were 6 times higher among women who reported experiencing recent physical violence (5.86, 95% CI = [2.49, 13.80]) or history of SV (6.34, 95% CI = [2.57, 15.65]). In conclusion, this study adds to the literature by providing information on major factors associated with SV toward women in Sierra Leone using a nationally representative sample. Women in the north (Tonkolili), circumcised between the ages of 1 and 14, had sex more than 25 times per year, reported physical violence (12 months before the survey) and SV (ever forced to have sex) reported higher risk for current SV. While more research is needed, these findings will help inform the current emergency operations against SV in Sierra Leone.
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    High-resolution disease maps for cancer control in low-resource settings: A spatial analysis of cervical cancer incidence in Kampala, Uganda
    (Journal of Global Health, 2022) Beyer, Kirsten; Kasasa, Simon; Anguzu, Ronald; Lukande, Robert; Nambooze, Sarah; Nansereko, Brendah; Oyana, Tonny; Savino, Danielle; Feustel, Kavanya; Wabinga, Henry
    The global burden of cervical cancer is concentrated in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), with the greatest burden in Africa. Targeting limited resources to populations with the greatest need to maximize impact is essential. The objectives of this study were to geocode cervical cancer data from a population-based cancer registry in Kampala, Uganda, to create high-resolution disease maps for cervical cancer prevention and control planning, and to share lessons learned to optimize efforts in other low-resource settings.