Publications by authors named "Christine Chimanuka"
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates trends and causes of maternal mortality (MM) in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from 2013 to 2022, highlighting its acute impact in poorer, conflict-affected regions.
- - Conducted in eight Health Zones, the research analyzed data from 242 health facilities, focusing on 143 maternal death cases, revealing significant fluctuations in maternal mortality ratios during the study period, with rates remaining relatively stable overall.
- - Findings indicate that the majority of deceased women were married and in their thirties, with many not having completed the recommended antenatal visits, emphasizing gaps in maternal healthcare access in the region.
Prioritization of maternal and newborn health policies and their implementation in the eastern conflict affected areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo: a political economy analysis.
Health Res Policy Syst
April 2024
Background: Maternal and neonatal mortality remains a major concern in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the country's protracted crisis context exacerbates the problem. This political economy analysis examines the maternal and newborn health (MNH) prioritization in the DRC, focussing specifically on the conflict-affected regions of North and South Kivu. The aim is to understand the factors that facilitate or hinder the prioritization of MNH policy development and implementation by the Congolese government and other key actors at national level and in the provinces of North and South Kivu.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArm circumference for age, arm circumference and weight-for-height z-score for the evaluation of severe acute malnutrition: a retrospective cohort study in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
BMC Public Health
February 2024
Background: Little is known about the use of mid-upper arm circumference for age (MUACZ) for diagnosing of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and its correlation with WHZ (weight-for-height Z-score) in an area endemic for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and with a high prevalence of kwashiorkor. Our study aims to analyze the concordance between the diagnostic criteria of SAM in a region presenting these characteristics.
Methods: We analyzed a database of children admitted from 1987 to 2008 for the management of SAM in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Background: Health Care Workers (HCWs) in conflict zones face high levels of violence while also playing a crucial role in assisting the population in distress. For more than two decades, the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have been wracked by conflict. This study aims to describe the state of violence against HCWs and the potential prevention mechanisms in eastern DRC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBody composition of adults with a history of severe acute malnutrition during childhood using the deuterium dilution method in eastern DR Congo: the Lwiro Cohort Study.
Am J Clin Nutr
December 2021
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates body composition in young adults who experienced severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in childhood and compares them to unexposed peers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- - Out of 151 SAM-exposed adults studied, males had significantly lower weight and height, and a decrease in fat-free mass (FFM), particularly pronounced in males compared to females.
- - Overall, while SAM was linked to reduced FFM in adulthood, adjusting for height showed no differences in fat mass or height-normalized body composition between the two groups.
Long-term effects of severe acute malnutrition during childhood on adult cognitive, academic and behavioural development in African fragile countries: The Lwiro cohort study in Democratic Republic of the Congo.
PLoS One
March 2021
Introduction: Little is known about the outcomes of subjects with a history of severe acute malnutrition (SAM). We therefore sought to explore the long-term effects of SAM during childhood on human capital in adulthood in terms of education, cognition, self-esteem and health-related disabilities in daily living.
Methodology: We traced 524 adults (median age of 22) in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, who were treated for SAM during childhood at Lwiro hospital between 1988 and 2007 (median age 41 months).