Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene and Nutritional Risk Factors for Acute Respiratory Illness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: REDUCE Prospective Cohort Study

Kelly Endres Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland;

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Presence Sanvura Food for the Hungry, Phoenix, Arizona;

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Camille Williams Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland;

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Elizabeth D. Thomas Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland;

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Jennifer Kuhl Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland;

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Nicole Coglianese Food for the Hungry, Phoenix, Arizona;

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Sarah Bauler Food for the Hungry, Phoenix, Arizona;

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Ruthly François Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland;

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Jean Claude Bisimwa Food for the Hungry, Phoenix, Arizona;

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Patrick Mirindi Food for the Hungry, Phoenix, Arizona;

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Jamie Perin Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland;

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Alain Namegabe Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland;

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Lucien Bisimwa Food for the Hungry, Phoenix, Arizona;

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Daniel T. Leung Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah

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Christine Marie George Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland;

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ABSTRACT.

The objective of this cohort study was to examine the prevalence of acute respiratory illness among children under 5 years of age and to identify water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and nutritional risk factors. This prospective cohort study was conducted in Walungu Territory, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and enrolled 512 participants. Spot checks of the household environment were conducted at baseline. Baseline minimum dietary diversity (MDD) was defined by consumption of five or more of the following food groups: 1) breast milk; 2) grains, roots, and tubers; 3) legumes and nuts; 4) dairy products; 5) flesh foods; 6) eggs; 7) vitamin A rich fruits and vegetables; and 8) other fruits and vegetables. Acute respiratory illness was defined as caregiver-reported rapid breathing, difficulty breathing, lower chest wall in-drawing, or coughing in the previous 2 weeks obtained at a 6-month follow-up. A total of 58% of children had acute respiratory illness, 19% had soap present in the household cooking area, and 4% in the defecation area, and 21% of children met MDD. A decreased odds of acute respiratory illness was associated with soap being present in the household cooking area (odds ratio [OR]: 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.38–0.88) and children with MDD (OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.38–1.00). These findings highlight the need for interventions targeting hygiene and improved dietary diversity among rural DRC households to reduce the rate of respiratory illnesses in children under 5 years.

Author Notes

Address correspondence to Christine Marie George, Associate Professor, Department of International Health, Program in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Room E5535, Baltimore, MD 21205-2103. E-mail: cmgeorge@jhu.edu

Financial support: This material is based in part upon work supported by the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), under a Development Food Security Activity (DFSA), led by Food for the Hungry in the Sud Kivu and Tanganyika provinces of DRC (Cooperative Agreement AID-FFP-A-16-00010).

Disclaimer: Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of partner organizations or the U.S. Government.

Authors’ addresses: Kelly Endres, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, E-mail: kendres4@jhu.edu. Presence Sanvura, Food for the Hungry, Phoenix, AZ, E-mail: presencesanvura@gmail.com. Camille Williams, Elizabeth D. Thomas, and Jennifer Kuhl, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, E-mails: cwill302@jhmi.edu, liz.thomas@jhu.edu, and jennifer.m.kuhl@gmail.com. Nicole Coglianese and Sarah Bauler, Food for the Hungry, Phoenix, AZ, E-mails: nicole.coglianese@gmail.com and sarahbauler@gmail.com. Ruthly François, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, International Health, Baltimore, MD, E-mail: ruthly.francois@gmail.com. Jean Claude Bisimwa and Patrick Mirindi, Food for the Hungry, Phoenix, AZ, E-mails: jcbisrus@gmail.com and patrick.mirindi@gmail.com. Jamie Perin and Alain Namegabe, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, E-mails: jperin@jhu.edu and alainmwish@gmail.com. Lucien Bisimwa, Food for the Hungry, Phoenix, Arizona, E-mail: lucienbis86@gmail.com. Daniel Leung, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, E-mail: daniel.leung@utah.edu. Christine Marie George, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, E-mail: cmgeorge@jhu.edu.

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