Schistosoma mansoni infection and its association with nutrition and health outcomes: a household survey in school-aged children living in Kasansa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Background. Schistosomiasis is a public health problem in Democratic Republic of the Congo but estimates of its prevalence vary widely. The aim of this study was to determine prevalence ofSchistosoma mansoniinfection and associated risk factors among children in 4 health areas of Kisantu health zone.Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 4 health areas of Kisantu health zone. 388 children randomly selected were screened forS. mansoniusing Kato Katz technique and the sociodemographic data was collected. Data were entered and encoded using software EpiData version 3.1. Analysis was performed using SPSS version 21 software.Results. The prevalence ofS. mansoniwas 26.5% (103); almost two-thirds (63) (61.2%) had light infection intensity. A significant association was found betweenS. mansoniinfection and age (p=0.005), educational level (p=0.001), and practices of swimming/bathing (p<0.001) and using water from river/lake/stream for domestic use (p<0.001). Kipasa health area had high prevalence of schistosomiasis (64.6%) (64/99; 95% CI 54.4–74.0) compared to other health areas.Conclusion.Schistosoma mansoniinfection still remains a public health problem in these areas. There is a need to promote health education and promote behavioral changes in children towards schistosomiasis.

Download Full-text

Drought, Resilience, and Support for Violence: Household Survey Evidence from DR Congo

Journal of Conflict Resolution ◽

10.1177/0022002720923400 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 64 (10) ◽

pp. 1994-2021

Author(s):

Nina von Uexkull ◽

Marco d’Errico ◽

Julius Jackson

Keyword(s):

Climate Variability ◽

Political Violence ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Household Survey ◽

Dr Congo ◽

Climate Variability And Change ◽

Drought Resilience ◽

Republic Of The Congo ◽

Household Survey Data ◽

General Association

The effects of climate variability and change on security are debated. While this topic has received considerable attention in both policy circles and academia, the microlevel pathways and conditions under which climatic shocks increase conflict risks are poorly understood. We suggest that household resilience provides one key to understanding these relationships. Using novel household survey data from two conflict-affected regions in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, we study variation in the support for violence related to reported exposure to drought and resilience metrics. Using comprehensive multifaceted objective and subjective indicators of resilience, we find that less resilient respondents who report having experienced drought and associated losses are more likely to be supportive of the use of political violence. In contrast, our findings suggest that there is no general association between reporting drought exposure and support for violence.

Download Full-text

Health-seeking behaviour in the city of Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo: results from a cross-sectional household survey

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/1472-6963-14-173 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Mukalenge F Chenge ◽

Jean Van der Vennet ◽

Numbi O Luboya ◽

Veerle Vanlerberghe ◽

Mala A Mapatano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Democratic Republic ◽

Household Survey ◽

Health Seeking Behaviour ◽

Health Seeking ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Republic Of The Congo ◽

The City

Download Full-text

Let's Go Girls!: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Tutoring and Scholarships on Primary School Girls' Attendance and Academic Performance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

FIRE Forum for International Research in Education ◽

10.32865/fire202063222 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 19-35

Author(s):

Jennifer Randall ◽

Alejandra Garcia

Keyword(s):

Primary School ◽

School Environment ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Household Survey ◽

Student Growth ◽

Access To Education ◽

Professional Development For Teachers ◽

Republic Of The Congo ◽

School Girls ◽

And Mathematics

The Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to balance a commitment to education in general, and girls’ education more specifically, and additional challenges brought about through cyclical conflict. The Valorisation de la Scholarisation de la Fille project aimed to improve literacy and numeracy by providing scholarships, tutoring, and comprehensive professional development for teachers. Using a randomized control design (RCT), we tracked both the achievement and attendance outcomes of these girls over a period of three years. Several factors positively influenced student growth in reading and mathematics, including the proportion of female teachers in the school, girls’ perceptions of the school environment, receipt of a scholarship, and tutoring (math only). Household survey data suggest that the project minimized/reduced an already existing gap between enrollment in school for control and intervention communities; and school data suggest increased enrollment for girls in upper primary school. The findings suggest that programs designed to provide increased access to education may be the most successful in improving outcomes for students.

Download Full-text