Browsing by Author "Davy, Vancampfort"

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Associations between mild depression and anxiety and physical inactivity among school-going Ugandan adolescents aged 14 to 17 years
(Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 2024-04) James, Mugisha; Tine, Van Damme; Davy, Vancampfort
Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate associations between physical activity levels and emotional and behavioural problems in school-going adolescents aged 14 to 17 years in Uganda. Methods: Two-hundred and five adolescents [median (interquartile range) age = 16.0 (1.0) years; female = 61.9%] completed the interviewer-administered Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire (GAD-7), and the Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) measure. Spearman’s rho correlations and Mann–Whitney U-tests were applied. Results: Among 205 adolescents, 97.1% were physically inactive (PAVS < 420min/week), while 64.4% reported either mild depressive (PHQ-9 ≥ 5) or anxiety (GAD-7 ≥ 5) symptoms. Higher PAVS scores correlated significantly with lower SDQ emotional problems (ρ = −0.23, p < 0.001), lower PHQ-9 (ρ = −0.26, p < 0.001), and lower GAD-7 (ρ = −0.22, p < 0.001) scores. Those with emotional problems (SDQ ≥ 5) (n = 86) were significantly less physically active than those without (n = 119) [30.0 (62.5) versus 60.0 (105.0) min/week, p < 0.001]. Those with depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥ 5) were significantly less physically active than those without [35.0 (70.0) versus 60.0 (120.0) min/week, p < 0.001]. Conclusion: Physical inactivity and mental health problems are related important public health concerns in school-going adolescents in low-income countries such as Uganda. The efficacy and effectiveness of school-based mental health literacy programs, including physical activity promotion, should be explored in these low-resource settings.
Efficacy of an 8-hour education intervention on dementia knowledge, attitude and skills in healthcare professionals in regional hospitals: a nation-wide study from Uganda
(Pan African Medical Journal, 2023-04-11) Davy, Vancampfort; James, Mugisha; Samuel, Kimbowa; Hafsa, Lukwata; Tine, Van Damme; Mathieu, Vandenbulcke
Introduction: dementia imposes an enormous burden, mainly in low-income countries (LICs). Due to lack of well-trained healthcare professionals, 70-90% of people with dementia do not receive adequate care in LICs. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a one-day, 8-hour medical education intervention on dementia care improves the knowledge and attitude about and confidence in providing dementia care among healthcare professionals in 8 referral hospitals in Uganda. Methods: in this pre-test/post-test study without a control group, participants completed the Alzheimer´s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS), Dementia Care Attitude Scale (DCAS), and 9 visual analogue scales (VAS) regarding confidence in specific dementia care skills pre- and post-medical education intervention. Results: in one hundred twelve healthcare professionals (age = 41.7±10.2 years; 54.5% women), the ADKS, DCAS, and VAS scores for recognizing and assessing core dementia symptoms, communicating effectively, providing psycho-education, activating patients mentally and physically, managing behavioral and psychological symptoms, and involving carers in the treatment improved significantly (P < 0.001) post-medical education intervention. Conclusion: our study demonstrates that brief educational interventions are efficacious in strengthening the dementia literacy among healthcare professionals in a low- income country. Future research should explore whether such brief educational interventions also result in implementation of efficacious dementia care into routine clinical practice and whether it ultimately may lead to improved health outcomes in patients and formal and informal caregivers
Lay-health workers-led physical activity counseling in Ugandan people living with HIV and suicidal ideation
(Taylor & Francis, 2025-01-18) Davy, Vancampfort; James Mugisha; Tine Van Damme
The aim of this one-group quasi-experimental study was to assess the efficacy of 8-week physical activity (PA) counseling program delivered by lay health workers (LHWs) in reducing suicidal ideation among people with HIV in Uganda. The counseling, based on the self-determination and motivational interviewing frameworks, consisted of 15-20 minute individual sessions for individuals from remote areas or 60-90 minute group sessions within the health center. Thirty-five (26 women, median age = 29.5years) participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), HIV/AIDS Stress Scale (HSS), World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule-2 (WHODAS-2) and Simple PA Questionnaire pre- and post-intervention. Post-intervention only 2 of the 35 participants reported suicidal ideation (PHQ-9 item 9 ≥ 1) (p < 0.001). Significant reductions in GAD-7, PHQ-9, HSS, SIMPAQ sedentary and WHODAS-2 scores and an increase in SIMPAQ PA score were observed. LHWs-led PA counselling is promising in reducing suicidal ideation in most people with HIV in low-resourced settings.