Changes in household composition and family structure during the AIDS epidemic in Uganda

Examination of aspects of changes in the family and household structure during the AIDS epidemic in Uganda using data collected from a multi-phase study in six districts finds that the majority of households were of extended nature and there were high levels, though declining, of orphanhood and widowhood.

Abstract

The paper examines aspects of changes in the family and household structure during the AIDS epidemic in Uganda using data collected from a multi-phase study in six districts. The majority of households were of extended nature and there were high levels, though declining, of orphanhood and widowhood. There was also increase in the dependency burden. Households headed by males and the elderly increased and a few were headed by children. Monogamous households with children were increasing. The family is a fundamental unit of a society. This paper examines aspects of the family and household structure in the era of AIDS in Uganda. Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the regions in the world most affected by AIDS (Kalibala and Anderson 1994). McKinley (1996) observed that in some cities of Uganda, 12-15 per cent of adults were infected with HIV and overall, an estimated 1.2-1.5 million Ugandans were infected, and 150,000-200,000 died annually from AIDS. Goncalves (1994) estimated that in Uganda one out of every six adults was HIV-positive; and that the high-risk group of males was aged 20-30 years, while that of the