Maternal determinants of diarrhea in children under five in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Diarrheal diseases are one of the leading causes of death among children younger than 5 years of age in the world in general and in sub-Saharan Africa in particular. Mothers are predominantly responsible for child care and housekeeping in this region. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of diarrhea and identify its maternal determinants in children under five in the city of Lubumbashi. A cross-sectional study conducted throughout March 2018 collected data from 299 mothers through a household survey. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect data in face-to-face interviews. The prevalence of diarrhea in children under 5 in Lubumbashi was 35.8%. In the univariate analysis, the variables associated with diarrhea were single motherhood, soap-free handwashing after latrine use, and the presence of feces around the latrines. Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of feces around latrines (OR adjusted = 2.12 [1.18-3.80]) was associated with diarrhea. Defective cleaning by mothers, specifically their failure to keep latrine areas clean and free of feces, is associated with the risk of diarrhea in children under five in the study area. A hygiene intervention program must be designed to promote healthy behavior to alleviate the burden of diarrhea in children.

Risk factors for low birth weight in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with low birth weight (LBW) in the city of Lubumbashi (DR Congo). This case-control study of singleton births took place from July to December 2014 in 3 referral maternity units in Lubumbashi. The mothers' social and demographic characteristics and medical and obstetric history, especially during this pregnancy, as well as the newborns' sex were compared between the case group (< 2500 g) and the control group. The usual statistics and logistic regression were used to analyze the results. The significance level was set at P < 0.05. We observed that a low educational level (OR adjusted = 2.5 [1.5-4.0]), employment (OR adjusted = 2.0 [1.3-3.1]), lack of prenatal care (OR adjusted = 2.5 [1.5-4.2]), maternal anemia (OR adjusted = 7.6 [2.3-24.8]), malaria during the pregnancy (OR adjusted = 1.5 [1.0-2.3]), urogenital infections during pregnancy (OR adjusted = 1.6 [1.1-2.5]), gestational hypertension (OR adjusted = 2.7 [1.5-4.9]), and maternal malnutrition (OR adjusted = 8.3 [2.4-28.5]) were all significantly associated with LBW. This study shows that some maternal demographic, medical, and obstetric factors influence the birth of LBW infants. Because some of these factors can be addressed and treated, the reduction of neonatal morbidity and mortality associated with LBW requires improving the health care system in our city, including its accessibility.