Browsing by Author "Musoke, Charles"

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    Comparative assessment of pest management practices in potato production at Farmer Field Schools
    (Food Security, 2010) Olanya, Modesto; Nelson, Rebecca; Hakiza, Johnson; Kakuhenzire, Rogers; Namanda, Samuel; Kasheija, Imelda; Wagoire, Williams; Ngombe, Brima; Musoke, Charles
    Farmer field schools (FFS) and other participatory approaches are useful methods for rapid delivery of agricultural technologies, knowledge, and information in resource-constrained agro-ecosystems. Cultivar selection, weekly fungicide applications and integrated disease management (IDM) based on a disease monitoring strategy were evaluated at FFS for late blight control. Farmers’ knowledge and perceptions of pest management and agronomic practices were also assessed for both FFS participants and non-participants from 1999–2002. Late blight development and tuber yield varied among field schools, but cultivars had significant effects on late blight severity and yield over a range of disease management options relative to the untreated check. FFS participants and non-participants used diverse sources of pest management information, but differed significantly (P < 0.05) in their use of management methods and practices. Cultivar resistance and fungicides were ranked as major components of pest control by 18%–85% and 7%–30% of FFS participants and non-participants, respectively. Differences in knowledge of cropping practices and pest biology, causal agents, disease symptoms, factors favoring disease development and cultural management of insects and storage pests were recorded. Participatory field experiments, access to resistant cultivars, disease management and use of various agronomic practices learnt at FFS can greatly improve pest control and potato production.
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    Symptom Prevalence and Burden in Cancer Patients with and without HIV/AIDS Reffered for Palliative Care
    (Journal of Health Science, 2015-02-24) Zirimenya, Ludoviko; Musoke, Charles; Hutt, Evelyn
    : The prevalence of cancer and that of HIV/AIDS is increasing in Uganda and throughout sub Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, little is known about the prevalence and burden of symptoms in patients with AIDS-Cancer and Cancer alone at first referral to a palliative care service. This study sets out to compare the prevalence and symptom burden between patients with AIDS-Cancer and those with Cancer only referred to a palliative care setting. Retrospective point prevalence survey of 150 randomly selected charts of patients referred to Hospice Africa Uganda (HAU) as per 2013. Of the 471 eligible patients’ charts, 168 were randomly selected and only 150 were included in the study. A chart review instrument was used to extract information from the charts. Data were entered into Epidata version 3.1, cleaned and analysed using Epidata Analysis and Excel. Of the 150 patients’ records: 78 (52%) had Cancer only diagnosis and 72 (48%) AIDS-Cancer diagnosis. Pain was most prevalent at 91.7% in the AIDS-Cancer group and 100% in the cancer only group. Three quarters reported pain as moderate to severe in both groups of patients. The five most prevalent symptoms in the AIDS-Cancer group were pain (91.7%), social distresses (38.9%), body swelling (27.8%), Anorexia (22.2%) and skin eruption (16.7%) while in the Cancer alone group were pain (100%), body swelling (25.6%), Anorexia (23.1%), social distresses (20.9%) and fatigue (17.9%). The average number of symptoms was 4.8 (2.3) in the Cancer group and 4.7 (2.3) in the AIDS-Cancer group Pain is highly prevalent in both Cancer only and AIDS-Cancer patients. The four most prevalent symptoms namely pain, social distresses, body swelling and anorexia are similar in both groups of patients. Social distresses occur highly in AIDS-Cancer patients.