Moses Okumu
Biographic Data
| ID | 4159146 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Moses Okumu |
| GIVEN NAMES | Moses |
| FAMILY NAME | Okumu |
| SIGNATURE | OKUMU M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2555-3077 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 55 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 18 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 54 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Preliminary Effectiveness of the Youth Empowerment Digital Intervention (Yedi)
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Psychosocial stressors related to extreme weather events and multiple resource insecurities
Extreme weather events (EWE) contribute to heightened psychosocial stressors through complex pathways, including by worsening resource insecurities. Refugee settlements globally are disproportionately exposed to EWE compared with host national populations, yet refugees' experiences of resource insecurity-related psychosocial stressors in low-income humanitarian settings are understudied. Our study focused on understanding the lived experiences of…
Multilevel Determinants of HIV Prevention Among Urban Refugee Youth in Uganda
While urban refugee youth face HIV vulnerabilities spanning socio-ecological levels, knowledge gaps persist in HIV prevention outcomes. We conducted a baseline analysis of a cohort enrolled in Tushirikiane-4-Uthabiti, an intervention focused on HIV testing practices among urban refugee youth aged 16-24 in Kampala, Uganda (N = 330). Using regression models, we examined the societal, community, and interpersonal factors associated with condom use s…
EHealth literacy and digital health interventions
During and after displacement, many displaced youth face increased vulnerability to poor mental health and can encounter inaccurate or confusing health information. Digital tools create new opportunities to reach more of these youth with mental health interventions. Yet maximizing these tools' effectiveness among displaced youth requires understanding their eHealth literacy (eHEALS; i.e., the ability to find, understand, and appraise health infor…
Experiences of drought, heavy rains, and flooding and linkages with refugee youth sexual and reproductive health in a humanitarian setting in Uganda
Climate-related extreme weather events (EWE) exacerbate resource insecurities that, in turn, shape sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Refugee settlements face increased EWE exposure yet are understudied in EWE research. We explored experiences of climate change and SRH among refugee youth aged 16-24 in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement, Uganda. This qualitative study involved walk-along individual youth interviews and key informant (KI) service pro…
Cumulative adverse childhood experiences and their association with depression and anxiety
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, are linked to adverse mental health outcomes, particularly among adolescents and young adults living in informal urban settlements, where poverty, unemployment, and exposure to violence exacerbate early life adversity. Despite this, research on ACEs and mental health in these contexts remains limited, especially among youth living in informal urban settlement…
Associations Between Forced Sexual Initiation, Post-exposure Prophylaxis Cascades and Subsequent Violence Experiences Among Displaced Young Women in Ugandan Informal Urban Settlements
Along their displacement trajectory, displaced adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) face elevated HIV risk early in their sexual life course, often due to forced sexual initiation (FSI), marking the beginning of cycles of violence. However, knowledge gaps exist regarding FSI prevalence rates and the association between FSI, violence experiences, and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) cascades (awareness, access and uptake) among displaced AGYW in…
Evaluating a mobile health intervention to increase Covid-19 prevention
Background: Displaced populations in resource-constrained settings require tailored COVID-19 prevention strategies, and mobile health (mHealth) emerges as a cost-effective approach. This study aimed to evaluate engagement and learning outcomes of the Kukaa Salama – Staying Safe – mHealth intervention for enhancing COVID-19 prevention practices among urban refugee youth. Method: This mixed-methods analysis used cross-sectional data from refugee yo…
Findings from the Tushirikiane-4-MH (supporting each other for mental health) mobile health–supported virtual reality randomized controlled trial among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda
Virtual reality (VR) for mental health promotion remains understudied in low-income humanitarian settings. We examined the effectiveness of VR in reducing depression with urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda. This randomized controlled trial assessed VR alone (Arm 1), VR followed by Group Problem Management Plus (GPM+) (Arm 2) and a control group (Arm 3), with a peer-driven and convenience sample of refugee youth aged 16–25 in Kampala. The prim…
Refugee Youth Parenthood in Uganda
There are knowledge gaps regarding the wellbeing of adolescent parents in humanitarian settings, particularly in relation to HIV vulnerabilities. We estimated associations between parenthood and sexual and mental health outcomes using baseline study data among refugee youth aged 16 to 24 in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement, Uganda. We conducted unadjusted and adjusted logistic and linear regression analyses to examine associations between parenthood …
Applying the Index of Vulnerability approach to understand water insecurity and other social-ecological factors associated with depression among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda
Water insecurity and other social-ecological factors may be associated with depression in low and middle-income contexts (LMICs). This is understudied among urban refugee youth in LMICs, who experience multiple forms of marginalization. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with a peer-driven sample of urban refugee youth aged 16–24 in Kampala, Uganda. We explored: the prevalence of depression (moderate, moderately severe); associations between s…
Exploring a syndemic of poverty, cumulative violence, and HIV vulnerability among refugee youth
Synergistic associations between social inequities and HIV vulnerabilities – known as a syndemic – are understudied with youth in humanitarian settings. We explored refugee youths’ HIV prevention needs in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement, Uganda. This multi-methods study involved 6 focus groups and 12 in-depth individual interviews (IDI) with refugee youth (n = 60) aged 16–24, and IDI with refugee elders (n = 8) and healthcare providers (n = 8). We t…
Examining HIV-stigma interventions among youth living in sub-Sahara Africa
Sociodemographic factors associated with trajectories of depression among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda
The chronicity of depression highlights the critical need for early depression screening with urban refugee youth in Kampala. Addressing multilevel depression drivers prompts age and gender-tailored strategies and considering social determinants of health
Contextualizing HIV testing experiences within the HIV prevention cascade
Complex, multi-level factors shape motivation for, access to, and effective use of HIV testing among refugee youth in Bidi Bidi. Findings align with the HIV prevention cascade framework that helps to identify gaps to inform intervention development with youth in humanitarian settings. HIV testing approaches tailored for refugee youth in contexts such as Bidi Bidi can foster HIV prevention and treatment literacy, gender equity, gender-based violen…
Exploring ecosocial contexts of alcohol use and misuse during the Covid-19 pandemic among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda
Urban refugees may be disproportionately affected by socio-environmental stressors that shape alcohol use, and this may have been exacerbated by additional stressors in the COVID-19 pandemic. This multi-method study aimed to understand experiences of, and contextual factors associated with, alcohol use during the pandemic among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda. We conducted a cross-sectional survey ( n = 335), in-depth individual interviews…
Digital technologies, equitable gender norms, and sexual health practices across sexting patterns among forcibly displaced adolescents in the slums of Kampala, Uganda
Sexual violence stigma experiences among refugee adolescents and youth in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, Uganda
There are over 100 million forcibly displaced persons who experience elevated risks for sexual violence. Sexual violence stigma can have immediate and long-lasting effects on social and health outcomes among survivors. There is a dearth of information on the experiences of sexual violence stigma among refugee adolescents and youth, particularly in low and middle-income contexts where most forcibly displaced persons are hosted. Our study focuses o…
Private supplementary tutoring expenditures and children’s learning outcomes
Characterising the HIV self-testing market in Kenya
HIVST has a key role in ensuring countries meet their 95-95-95 goals. For HIVST to be sustainable, we should explore sharing costs with users as well as the overall experience. This research explores why a consumer would use HIVST and willingness to pay for HIVST through surveying 1,021 participants 18–35 living in Nairobi or Kisumu who were not diagnosed as HIV positive and who are not currently taking PrEP for HIV. A majority (89.8%) would pay …
The Use and Effectiveness of the Whole School Approach in School-Based Interventions Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa
Adolescents and young people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) experience high rates of gender-based violence (GBV). The whole school approach (WSA) is an established benchmark of effective school-based interventions to address this issue. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature using PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Clinicaltrials.gov, and Google Scholar (1) to determine the characteristics, measur…
A syndemic of inequitable gender norms and intersecting stigmas on condom self-efficacy and practices among displaced youth living in urban slums in Uganda
Displaced youth living in urban slums exhibited low consistent condom use. Intersecting stigmas were associated with lower condom self-efficacy-a protective factor linked with increased consistent condom use. Findings highlight the importance of gender transformative and intersectional stigma reduction approaches to increase sexual agency and safer sex practices among Kampala's slum-dwelling displaced youth
Multi-method findings on Covid-19 vaccine acceptability among urban refugee adolescents and youth in Kampala, Uganda
Scant studies have explored COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among refugees. However, contexts of forced migration may elevate COVID-19 vulnerabilities, and suboptimal refugee immunisation rates are reported for other vaccine-preventable diseases. We conducted a multi-methods study to describe COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda. This study uses cross-sectional survey data from a cohort study with refugees ag…
HIV Vulnerabilities Associated with Water Insecurity, Food Insecurity, and Other Covid-19 Impacts Among Urban Refugee Youth in Kampala, Uganda
Qualitative Comic Book Mapping
Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a persistent concern in humanitarian contexts, yet there is a dearth of SGBV prevention and post-rape clinical care interventions tailored for refugee youth. Graphic medicine, the use of images and text such as in comic books, has been employed to depict lived experiences to promote health, wellbeing, and education. Comic books provide a low-cost, youth-friendly approach to health promotion that is acces…
The role of parent, classmate, and teacher support in student engagement
Qualitative Comic Book Mapping
Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a persistent concern in humanitarian contexts, yet there is a dearth of SGBV prevention and post-rape clinical care interventions tailored for refugee youth. Graphic medicine, the use of images and text such as in comic books, has been employed to depict lived experiences to promote health, wellbeing, and education. Comic books provide a low-cost, youth-friendly approach to health promotion that is acces…
Introducing the Disease Outbreak Resilience Index (Dori) Using the Demographic and Health Surveys Data from sub-Saharan Africa
Although most studies on disease emergencies underscore the need for household readiness for shocks associated with disease outbreaks, no study to date has provided a holistic measure for profiling households based on their readiness toward disease outbreaks. This paper introduces a novel Disease Outbreak Resilience Index (DORI) using a multidimensional approach that draws on the Alkire-Foster methodology. DORI measures disease outbreak resilienc…
Marital Rape and HIV Risk in Uganda
This study used Uganda Demographic Health Survey data (2011) to examine the role of women's empowerment in reducing HIV risk among married women who experienced sexual violence in Uganda. The sample size was 8,674 ever-married women aged 15-49 years. Significant differences were revealed for marital rape, women's empowerment variables, and reducing HIV risk according to sociodemographic characteristics. Women's labor force participation partially…
Antisocial attitude and aggressive behavior among immigrant children
Guided by the ecological framework, this study explored 1) the effect of antisocial attitude as a risk factor on aggressive behavior and 2) how a maternal- or paternal-child relationship buffers the impact of antisocial attitude in predicting aggressive behavior among children attending elementary school. A convenience sampling strategy was utilized to recruit 136 immigrant children (female 54.8%, Hispanic and Latino 80.9%) attending schools in o…
Perceived family economic hardship and student engagement among junior high schoolers in Ghana
The role of parent, classmate, and teacher support in student engagement
Families Preparing a New Generation
Refugees frequently experience histories of trauma and stress of acculturation, which place them at a high risk for mental health and substance use problems. Although recently arrived foreign-born youths report lower rates of substance use than their American peers, substance use rates for children in refugee families often increase as acculturation occurs. We describe the adaptation of the Familias: Preparando a la Nueva Generación (Families: Pr…
Exploring factors associated with condom use self-efficacy and condom use among Northern and Indigenous adolescent peer leaders in Northern Canada
Social and health disparities compromise Northern and Indigenous adolescents’ wellbeing in the Northwest Territories (NWT) where food insecurity, sexually transmitted infections (STI), and depression prevalence are higher than other Canadian regions. Condoms are an accessible STI prevention strategy for adolescents, yet depression and food insecurity may constrain condom use self-efficacy. The potential role of resilience in cultivating condom us…
Antisocial attitude and aggressive behavior among immigrant children
Guided by the ecological framework, this study explored 1) the effect of antisocial attitude as a risk factor on aggressive behavior and 2) how a maternal- or paternal-child relationship buffers the impact of antisocial attitude in predicting aggressive behavior among children attending elementary school. A convenience sampling strategy was utilized to recruit 136 immigrant children (female 54.8%, Hispanic and Latino 80.9%) attending schools in o…
Perceived family economic hardship and student engagement among junior high schoolers in Ghana
Social ecological factors associated with experiencing violence among urban refugee and displaced adolescent girls and young women in informal settlements in Kampala, Uganda
Findings suggest that YAV and IPV polyvictimization require urgent attention among forcibly displaced AGYW in Kampala. Multi-level strategies are required to address intrapersonal e.g. (depression), interpersonal (e.g. childhood abuse, sexual relationship power) and community (e.g. adolescent SRH stigma, food insecurity) factors associated with experiencing violence. Future research can tailor approaches to advance health, agency and human rights…
Marital Rape and HIV Risk in Uganda
This study used Uganda Demographic Health Survey data (2011) to examine the role of women's empowerment in reducing HIV risk among married women who experienced sexual violence in Uganda. The sample size was 8,674 ever-married women aged 15-49 years. Significant differences were revealed for marital rape, women's empowerment variables, and reducing HIV risk according to sociodemographic characteristics. Women's labor force participation partially…
Gender-Specific Pathways between Face-to-Face and Cyber Bullying Victimization, Depressive Symptoms, and Academic Performance among U.S. Adolescents
The role of Hexaco personality traits in different kinds of sexting
Sexual and reproductive health mobile apps
Mobile application (app) platforms have the potential to advance sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Yet there is a dearth of knowledge regarding global perspectives from healthcare providers on how SRH mobile apps are being leveraged in their healthcare practice. In 2019 the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a consolidated guideline on self-care interventions for SRH. To inform this guideline, we conducted a global values and preferenc…
The effectiveness of treatment supporter interventions in antiretroviral treatment adherence in sub-Saharan Africa
Contextual factors associated with depression among urban refugee and displaced youth in Kampala, Uganda
Findings reveal widespread depression among urban refugee and displaced youth in Kampala, disproportionately impacting young women. Contextual factors, including food insecurity and violence, increase depression risks. Strategies that reduce gender-based violence and food insecurity, and increase social support networks, have the potential to promote mental health among urban refugee and displaced youth
Covid-19-Compliant Strategies for Supporting Treatment Adherence Among People Living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa
The Role of Social Support and Psychological Well-Being in STEM Performance Trends across Gender and Locality
Addressing the Burden of Education Financing in Low and Lower-Middle-Income Countries
Ngutulu Kagwero (agents of change)
With over 1.4 million refugees, Uganda is Sub-Saharan Africa's largest refugee-hosting nation. Bidi Bidi, Uganda's largest refugee settlement, hosts over 230,000 residents. There is a dearth of evidence-based sexual violence prevention and post-rape clinical care interventions in low- and middle-income humanitarian contexts tailored for refugee youth. Graphic medicine refers to juxtaposing images and narratives, often through using comics, to con…
Gender, transactional sex, and HIV prevention cascade engagement among urban refugee and displaced adolescents and youth in Kampala, Uganda
88) aged 16-24 living in Kampala's informal settlements. We conducted gender-disaggregated multivariable linear and logistic regressions to examine associations between past 12-month transactional sex and: lifetime HIV testing, condom self-efficacy, and recent [past 3-month] consistent condom use. Among the 27% of young women reporting transactional sex, 63% reported HIV testing. In multivariable analyses with young women, transactional sex was a…
Exploring resource scarcity and contextual influences on wellbeing among young refugees in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, Uganda
Resource scarcity produced pervasive stressors among refugee adolescents and youth. Findings signal the importance of gender transformative approaches to SGBV prevention that integrate attention to resource scarcity. These may be particularly relevant in the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings signal the importance of developing health enabling social contexts with and for refugee adolescents and youth
Exploring factors associated with HIV secondary stigma among adolescents and young adults in Uganda
HIV stigma is a public health problem. It refers to irrational judgments and attitudes towards people living with or at risk of HIV. Among adolescents and young adults living with HIV, stigma can negatively influence help-seeking decisions and impede HIV prevention efforts. The present study aimed to explore social-ecological factors associated with HIV-related stigma using a cross-sectional study design. Data used were from the 2016 Uganda Demog…
Alleviating psychological distress and promoting mental wellbeing among adolescents living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, during and after Covid-19
COVID-19 social control measures (e.g. physical distancing and lockdowns) can have both immediate (social isolation, loneliness, anxiety, stress) and long-term effects (depression, post-traumatic stress disorder) on individuals' mental health. This may be particularly true of adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) and their caregivers - populations already overburdened by intersecting stressors (e.g. psychosocial, biomedical, familial, economic, soc…
The Relationship between Dark Triad Personality Traits and Sexting Behaviors among Adolescents and Young Adults across 11 Countries
The present study provided empirical evidence that different sexting behaviors were predicted by Dark Triad Personality Traits, showing a relevant role of Machiavellianism in all kinds of investigated sexting behaviors. Research, clinical, and education implications for prevention programs are discussed
Harmonizing Longitudinal and Survival Data Using a Joint-Modeling Framework
Objective: This article is an exposition of the joint-modeling approach to testing intervention effects through the harmonization of longitudinal and time-to-event data. We demonstrate the advantages of the joint-modeling approach over the classical approach of separately analyzing these types of outcome data. Method: We used a subset of 150 participants from the Illinois Birth through Three Title IV-E Waiver intervention study, which collected l…
How Financial Resilience Shapes Social and Public Health Policy Choices in Africa
Objective: Scant evidence exists indicating how governments in African countries consider the economic vulnerability of their populations when instituting initial social control policies. This study examined possible clusters of financial resilience among African countries and how these clusters predicted the length of social control policies. Method: We harmonized country-level financial resilience data from the World Bank 2019 Global Findex dat…
Bullying Victimization and STIs
Purpose: Informed by attachment theory, the current study explores whether the association between bullying victimization and STIs acquisition among African American youth is moderated by general parental communication or parental communication about sex. Method: Data were collected from 546 African American adolescents in four neighborhoods in Chicago’s South Side. Univariate analyses, Spearman’s rank-order correlation analyses, and hierarchical…
Examining the substance use, violence, and HIV and Aids (Sava) syndemic among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda
BACKGROUND: Interactions between substance use, violence, HIV and AIDS, known as the 'SAVA' syndemic, are understudied among refugee youth. We assessed the synergistic effects of frequent alcohol use, depression and violence on HIV vulnerability among urban refugee youth aged 16-24 years in Kampala, Uganda. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey between January and April 2018 with a convenience sample of refugee youth aged 16-24 years liv…
Psychology (37 works) · Medicine (35 works) · Environmental health (25 works) · Refugee (24 works) · Family medicine (17 works) · Political science (17 works) · Sociology (17 works) · Migration, Health and Trauma (16 works) · Population (16 works) · Psychiatry (16 works)