Abstract

Background: Malnutrition is one of the major threats to health and child survival in low- and middle-income countries in particular in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Inequality and the link between children nutritional status and determinants of geographical location is unknown. We studied the impact of geographical location on the nutritional status of the child while taking into account important risk factors.
Method: We examined the spatial variation of malnutrition in under-five children. Data from the Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey with malaria component in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MICS-PALU, RDC 2017-2018) designed to provide estimates for a large number of indicators on the situation of children and women at the national level, by place of residence (urban and rural) and for the 26 provinces of the country were used. Data analysis was performed using STATA 17 and R studio software version 4.2.1.
Results Child malnutrition was more pronounced in all provinces of the DRC, after taking into account the effects of location, geographical differences were significant: malnutrition was significantly higher in rural areas compared to Urban centers and this difference persisted after adjusting.
Conclusion Child malnutrition is spatially structured and rates remain very high in all provinces. Even in provinces like Bas-Congo who produce food, child malnutrition is higher probably due to the economic decision to sell more than the local consumption. Improving the nutritional status of the mother and of the child is a prerequisite for achieving sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.2, to reduce the infant mortality rate in the DRC.