Drivers of Acute Diarrhea in Mothers of Children between 6 and 59 Months old in Kinshasa Households, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

Acute diarrhea is a common affection, among children under 59 months old in Sub-saharan Africa and Asia known to be a global public health concern. It is responsible for significant mortality in developing countries. The main purpose of this study was to identify drivers of acute diarrhea in mothers of children aged 6-59 months in Kinshasa households. This study was conducted in two health areas in Kinshasa namely Centre Supérieur Militaire Mobikisi and Hopital Militaire Central. It is a cross-sectional study of analytical type having a correlational design. In fact, 114 mothers having children aged 6 to 59 months old who had experienced at least three diarrheal episodes were selected and this research was carried out in January 2020. Independent variables were socio-economic factors and dependent variables were biological factors. Descriptive statistical analyses of which frequency and percentage were performed to describe the sampling profile. To measure the strength of association between different variables, the Pearson's Chi-Square (X2) test was used. The findings showed that 57% live in a high socio-economic environment compared to 43% who have a low socio-economic environment responsible for the occurrence of acute diarrhea. It was observed that 67.7% of participants knew the importance of access to health care services, compared to 32.3% who did not know. Meanwhile, 50.8% lived in a healthy environment versus 49.2% who had an unhealthy environment. Furthermore, 53.8% were in an acceptable demographic and biological situation, compared to 46.2% who were in a precarious demographic and biological situation. Acute diarrhea in children aged 6-59 months is one of the causes of morbidity and mortality in Kinshasa city. Obstacles to effective care are related to the lack of quality service provision. Policy makers must therefore put in place interventions to address these challenges in order to reduce infant morbidity and mortality in this area.