MJAAR

Beyond the "Mixture for Disaster": A Public Health Analysis of Lifestyle Choices among University-Going Women in Uganda

Asiimwe Isaac Kazaara, Ahumuza Audrey


Abstract

Background: University-going women in Uganda face multiple lifestyle-related health risks that emerge from complex interactions between socioeconomic constraints, campus environments, cultural influences, and individual factors, yet comprehensive data on these patterns and their determinants remain limited. This study examined the prevalence, determinants, and health implications of lifestyle behaviors among female university students in Uganda. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 842 randomly selected female undergraduate students aged 18-30 years from five universities (two public, three private) across different regions of Uganda. Data were collected using structured questionnaires incorporating validated instruments including the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and WHO Quality of Life-BREF scale, alongside physical measurements and assessments of dietary practices, sexual behaviors, and sociodemographic characteristics. Statistical analysis employed univariate methods to describe prevalence with 95% confidence intervals, bivariate analysis using chi-square tests and t-tests to examine associations between determinants and behaviors, and structural equation modeling to test complex pathways between sociodemographic factors, environmental influences, lifestyle behaviors, and health outcomes including direct and indirect effects. Results: High prevalence rates of risky lifestyle behaviors were documented across all domains: 84.6% reported inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, 75.8% had insufficient physical activity, 74.0% experienced poor sleep quality, 65.0% exhibited irregular eating patterns, 44.9% screened positive for moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms, and among sexually active participants, 60.0% reported inconsistent condom use. Bivariate analyses revealed significant associations between lifestyle behaviors and age (p

Keywords

lifestyle behaviors university women Uganda public health structural equation modeling health determinants
Metropolitan Journal of Academic and Applied Research

Cite This Article

Asiimwe Isaac Kazaara & Ahumuza Audrey (2026). Beyond the "Mixture for Disaster": A Public Health Analysis of Lifestyle Choices among University-Going Women in Uganda. Metropolitan Journal of Academic and Applied Research, 5(2). https://journals.miu.ac.ug/pages/article.php?article_id=146

More in This Issue

View full issue →
6
Survival Sex and its Cost to Education: An Analysis of Secondary Schoolgirls' Transactional Sex for Basic Needs in Soroti City, Uganda
Dr. Arinaitwe Julius1 , Ahumuza Audrey2
Transactional sex survival sex secondary education schoolgirls
7
Surviving the Statistics: Unraveling the Livelihood Strategies in Uganda's Informal Economy
Dr. Arinaitwe Julius1 , Asiimwe Isaac Kazaara12
informal economy livelihood strategies income diversification
8
The Dialectic of the Social and the Self: Reconciling Cohesion and Self-Actualization in Sociological Theory
Ahumuza Audrey1 , Asiimwe Isaac Kazaara2
Cohesion Self-Actualization and Sociological Theory
9
The Double-Edged Sword of Memory: Integrating Recollection with Present-Moment Awareness for Psychological Well-Being
Dr. Arinaitwe Julius1 , Asiimwe Isaac Kazaara2
autobiographical memory mindfulness rumination psychological well-being
10
The Effect Of Government Funding On The Quality Of Education In Secondary Schools In Buyende District, Uganda.
Tigatya Grace1 , Kiwanuka Rashid2
Government funding quality of education secondary schools Buyende District