Ugandan Culture

The cultural aspects of a society incorporate customary beliefs, language, religion, cuisine, social habits and norms, music, arts, and spirituality. Spirituality relates to that which affects the human spirit or soul, as opposed to material or physical components or matters relating to religion or religious beliefs. All these dimensions can be intertwined and influenced by financial and other resources . Uganda is a religiously diverse nation with over 84% of the population Christian (Protestants, Roman Catholics, and others) and about 14% Muslim; the remainder follow traditional African religions or do not ascribe to any particular faith. The Uganda Cancer Institute, a public medical care facility that provides modern cancer treatment modalities, is one of the oldest specialist cancer care programs on the African continent. It was established in 1967 with most treatment modalities and is now opening regional centers within the country. Cancer care should include the following: understanding the religious and spiritual dimensions; level of education of the population; health literacy packages about specific cancers; addressing barriers to accessing services and beliefs about traditional medicines . In improving cancer care outcomes, patients’ diverse spiritual and cultural beliefs must be recognized, and available methods must be utilized in order to improve access and adherence to treatment modalities and regimens.