“The Bottle Is My Wife”: Exploring Reasons Why Men Drink Alcohol in Ugandan Fishing Communities

Abstract

Fishing communities in Uganda have high rates of excessive alcohol consumption and negative health outcomes related to alcohol consumption, such as HIV acquisition and transmission and intimate partner violence victimization and perpetration. Research lacks understanding of alcohol use in Ugandan fishing communities, underlying reasons for excessive drinking among fishermen or how their community perceives negative health outcomes linked to excessive alcohol consumption. This qualitative study was conducted among Ugandan fisherfolk to determine why excessive alcohol consumption has overtaken their communities. Through analyzing in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, reasons for drinking and community perceptions of drinking were explored using the Socio Ecological Model and the Time Perspective Theory. Interviews were coded into two content themes: social influences on drinking and using alcohol to cope with stress. Participants acknowledged links between excessive alcohol consumption and negative health outcomes within their families and communities. These findings highlight the need for alcohol-related reduction interventions that are sensitive to contextual factors and self-identified contributors to problematic alcohol use within individuals and their communities. Such interventions must consider the social, ecological and economic conditions within fishing sites, focusing not only on individual-level behavioral change but also challenging the underlying structures that foster excessive alcohol consumption.

Prevalence and correlates of men’s and women’s alcohol use in agrarian, trading and fishing communities in Rakai, Uganda

“…The current study found women’s occupation to be statistically significantly associated with past alcohol use, with higher odds of drinking reported among women who worked at a bar/restaurant. This finding supports our previous qualitative research in which community members narrated how women working in/around bars were more likely to use alcohol, relative to women in other professions and settings (e.g., agrarian communities) [ 22 ]. Thus, it makes sense that women in fishing areas had heightened likelihood of drinking given their tendency to do bar work and because so many men in fishing areas, many of whom were presumably the partners of women interviewed, were also drinking.…”

“…Among men in our sample, those who earned their primary income through fishing had the highest odds of past year alcohol use compared to men in the reference occupation of agriculture (aOR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.5, 2.4, p < 0.01). This builds on our previous qualitative research with residents from Rakai fishing communities who explained that fishing is the most lucrative local industry, providing ample disposable income that can be (and is) used to purchase alcohol [ 22 ] in any location. Similarly, men in fishing areas were significantly more likely to report past year alcohol use, relative to men in agrarian communities.…”

“…In our own qualitative research, participants confirmed it was less acceptable for women to drink (compared to men) in the Rakai region, but these norms were different when it came to life in or near fishing communities. It was commonly perceived that fishing areas were unique due to the high density of bars/drinking establishments in these areas, and a correlated high likelihood of women working in or around these establishments [ 22 ]. The current study found women’s occupation to be statistically significantly associated with past alcohol use, with higher odds of drinking reported among women who worked at a bar/restaurant.…”

HIV epidemic in fishing communities in Uganda: A scoping review

“…At the policy and societal level, lack of enforcement of national laws to restrict alcohol use emerged as an important factor [ 58 , 60 – 63 , 69 ]. The authors also documented the widespread belief that “everybody drinks” and a “life is short mentality” (due to the danger of fishing activities) as key contributors to alcohol use in fishing communities [ 61 ].…”

Alcohol use, intimate partner violence, and HIV sexual risk behavior among young people in fishing communities of Lake Victoria, Uganda

“…But in actual practice, the total sample size was 501. We aimed to sample nearly the same number of participants from each sampled district because we did not have the population sizes of the landing sites since these are highly migrant and mobile populations [ 32 ]. For the sample size calculation, we made an assumption of 50% HIV risk behavior obtained from a recent study [ 20 ], implying that p = 0.50 and q = 0.50, confidence level of 95%, error term of 10%, design effect of 2, and non-response of 5%.…”