Primary Health Care Research & Development · 5 authors, 6 centres
This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.
This baseline survey compared health and nutrition practices during pregnancy and birth outcomes between semi-urban and rural mothers in Bukavu, DR Congo. It found significant disparities, with rural areas having higher rates of low birth weight and lower rates of beneficial antenatal practices.
This study conducted a baseline survey of 471 mother-child pairs recruited post-delivery in two semi-urban and one rural hospital near Bukavu, DRC. The survey assessed socio-demographic parameters, maternal nutrition and health practices during pregnancy, and anthropometric measures. Comparisons revealed significant disparities: rural mothers had lower rates of antimalarial medication use (80.8% vs. 88.6%), deworming (24.6% vs. 88.3%), nutritional supplement consumption (81.5% vs. 89.3%), and being informed about nutrition by medical staff (32.8% vs. 17.1%). The rate of low birth weight was higher in the rural area (10.7% vs. 2.7%). Regression analysis identified rural location as a negative predictor of birth weight, while maternal mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), age, and gestational age were positive predictors. Limitations include potential selection bias from hospital recruitment, small number of facilities, possible measurement errors, and retrospective self-reporting of pregnancy data. The findings underscore the need to strengthen antenatal care services, especially in rural areas, to improve maternal and infant health.
