Factors influencing the prevalence of vaginal candidiasis among female students of Makerere university business school, Nakawa.

Abstract

There are numerous factors that influence vaginal candidiasis among the females in Uganda but this study is purposely looking at the influence of contraceptive use, environmental factors and lifestyle habits on the prevalence of vaginal candidiasis. Data was collected from 108 university female students at Makerere University Business School (MUBS) using a semi structured questionnaire, active observation and checklist. The data was captured and analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Scientists software (SPSS). The Chi square statistical test was employed to test the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The results from the study showed that there is a relationship between contraceptive use and vaginal candidiasis, the females that used contraceptives had a higher likelihood of getting vaginal candidiasis than those that did not use contraceptives. Furthermore the research showed that environmental factors like hygienic status, toilets and bath room sizes as well as numbers used by the respondents were associated with vaginal candidiasis. Furthermore, this study found out that lifestyle habits like use of sprays during periods, use of antibiotics, and material of underwear worn had a direct relationship with the vaginal candidiasis. The present study concluded that vaginal candidiasis is attributed to several factors with most of them being man made or a result of the environment and not necessary biological and that it can be minimized by proper lifestyle adjustment.