Feb. 10, 2016 Africa Publication

Modernization and development: impact on health care decision-making in Uganda

Uganda has faced numerous challenges over the past 50 years from overcoming political conflict and civil unrest, to rapid population growth, to combating the HIV epidemic and ever-growing health needs. Women in Uganda have had a major role to play in the health of families and communities. The researchers' purpose in this study, undertaken in rural Uganda, was to

• a) identify a people-centered definition of development,
• b) compare it to the process of modernization, and
• c) investigate how these processes have changed the role women play in decision-making, in areas directly and indirectly related to their health and that of their families.

Twenty-two men and women participated in focus group discussion and completed questionnaires. Based on our analysis of discussions it appears that both modernization and development have impacted health positively and negatively. Key themes distilled from interviews included that modernization has led to the breakdown of families; increased maternal ...