The socioeconomic and sexual health status of young people living in urban slum areas of Kampala, Uganda

Slum dweller youth in Kampala, Uganda, face social economic exclusion and a plethora of health risks, and their needs are poorly understood. The aim of the current study was to analyze their needs and to suggest contextual evidence-based solutions to improve their well-being sustainably. We conducted a qualitative study involving 10 focus group discussions (FGDs; N = 113) and 20 key informant (KII) interviews. Emerging themes and sub-themes were identified, defined, reviewed, and organized and narrated following the structuration theoretical framework, which enabled the examination of the inherent capacity of slum dweller youth to make choices independently and the recurrent rules and resources that influence or limit the choices and opportunities available to them. The findings suggest that the slum dweller youth's ability to reach and fulfil their potential remains constrained by a confluence of individual and societal-level factors. The individual factors were poor quality of and dissatisfaction with life, and poor sexual and reproductive health practices. The societal-level factors were poor sexual and reproductive health services, and an extremely weak labor market. The needs of slum dweller youth in Kampala, Uganda, remain unaddressed, and leaving such a large population economically unproductive and dissatisfied with life is a recipe for political instability and insecurity. Interventions to address their needs need to adopt a whole-community approach in order to engage and empower all parts of the slum community and strengthen community structures that improve livelihoods and harness the opportunities that engender income fortification and socio-civic transformation for the youth.