BackgroundWhile recent studies have indicated that fertility has remained high in Uganda, no systematic attempt has been made to identify the factors responsible for this persistent trend and to quantify these factors. This paper uses the Uganda Demographic and Health Surveys (UDHS) of 2006 and 2011, to examine the contribution contraceptive use, marriage and postpartum infecundability on one hand and Total Fertility Rate (TFR) on the other.We constructed a database using the Woman’s Questionnaire from the UDHS 2006 and 2011. We then apply Bongaarts aggregate fertility model procedures to derive estimates of total fertility rate for the different socioeconomic groups.ResultsThe findings indicate that a woman’s contraceptive behavior; marriage status and postpartum infecundability (also referred to as postpartum insusceptibility due to postpartum amenorrhea, which is intended to measure the effects on fertility breastfeeding), are important predictors of fertility outcomes. The results also show that higher education levels and urban residence are consistently associated with lower fertility rates and are positively associated with contraceptive use. Other key predictors of fertility include: wealth status, and region of residence.ConclusionThe country needs to scale-up target interventions that are aimed at uplifting the education status of women and improving their economic wellbeing, because such interventions have a positive impact on fertility reduction and on improving maternal and reproductive health outcomes.

Background Women with disabilities in developing countries experience significant marginalization, which negatively affects their reproductive health. This study examined the association between disability status and sexual intimate partner violence; the determinants of sexual intimate partner violence by disability status; and the variations in the determinants by disability status. Methods The study, which was based on a merged dataset of 2006, 2011 and 2016 Uganda Demographic Surveys, used a weighted sample of 9689 cases of married women selected for the domestic violence modules. Data were analyzed using frequency distributions and chi-squared tests and multivariable logistic regressions. Other key explanatory variables included partner’s alcohol consumption and witnessing parental violence. A model with disability status as an interaction term helped to establish variations in the determinants of sexual intimate partner violence by disability status. Results Sexual IPV was higher among women with disabilities (25% compared to 18%). Disability status predicted sexual intimate partner violence with higher odds among women with disabilities (aOR = 1.51; 95% CI 1.10–2.07). The determinants of sexual intimate partner violence for women with disabilities were: partner’s frequency of getting drunk, having witnessed parental violence, occupation, and wealth index. The odds of sexual intimate partner violence were higher among women whose partners often or sometimes got drunk, that had witnessed parental violence, were involved in agriculture and manual work; and those that belonged to the poorer and middle wealth quintiles. Results for these variables revealed similar patterns irrespective of disability status. However, women with disabilities in the agriculture and manual occupations and in the poorer and rich wealth quintiles had increased odds of sexual intimate partner violence compared to nondisabled women in the same categories. Conclusion Determinants of sexual intimate partner violence mainly relate to partners’ behaviors and the socialization process. Addressing sexual intimate partner violence requires prioritizing partners’ behaviors, and gender norms and proper childhood modelling, targeting men, women, families and communities. Interventions targeting women with disabilities should prioritize women in agriculture and manual occupations, and those above the poverty line.

Background: The Uganda Vision 2040 underpins socioeconomic factors such as the country’s rapid population growth, a young population structure and a small proportion of the working population as major threats to Uganda’s aspiration of achieving socio-economic development. In order to position the country on a path for socioeconomic development, the National Population Policy emphasises the need for the population to adopt an urban character. This paper seeks to establish the influence of urbanisation on the socio-economic factors for harnessing the demographic dividend in Uganda exploring the urban/rural differentials, through an exploratory analysis of data from the 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey. Methods: Bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regressions were used to determine the influence of urbanization on the explanatory variables which contribute to change in fertility. The significant variables (p<0.05) at the bivariate level were included in the two fit logistic regression models. The first model (model 1) shows the association between total children ever born and the explanatory factors in rural areas. The second model (model 2) adjusts for the enabling factors to the first model for women in urban areas. Results: Women living in urban areas, with above secondary level education (OR 3.1: CI 2.5-3.8), whose age at first sex was within the legally accepted age range of 18-49 (OR 3.0: CI 2.4-3.5), and coming from wealthier households (OR 1.63: CI 1.2-2.2) have increased odds of producing less than 3 children modelled as most ideal for the attainment of the DD. Conclusion: The influence of urbanisation towards harnessing the DD is especially through women’s education levels, increased household welfare and age at first sex.