Infant Mortality in Rural and Post-Conflict Areas in South Kivu, Eastern DR Congo: A Cross-Sectional Study 

Abstract Background: The infant mortality rate in the province of South Kivu remains one of the highest in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). The aim of this study is to estimate this mortality by identifying the associated factors in the health zones of Walungu and Miti-Murhesa, rural and post-conflict health zones of South Kivu, eastern DR Congo.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in two post-conflict rural health zones, Miti-Murhesa and Walungu, between July 2016 and September 2017. Our study population consisted of women giving birth from two aforementioned areas during the period of study in which a structured questionnaire assessing the survival of the child resulting from the previous pregnancy was administered. Qualitative variables were described as counts and proportions and quantitative variables as means or medians depending on their distribution. To determine the factors associated with child survival, simple and multivariate logistic regression models were constructed. The materiality threshold was set at 5%. Results: The infant mortality rate is 49.7 ‰ in the two study areas overall and specifically 52.6 ‰ in Miti-Murhesa and 46.56 ‰ in Walungu. The factors associated with this mortality were the age of the mother under 20 years old [adjusted odds ratio ( ORa) = 2.3, 95% CI : 1.1-4.5 ; p = 0.022], household size greater than or equal to 7 people [( ORa = 3.7 ; 95% CI : 1.9-7.3 ; p <0.001 )], prematurity [( ORa = 25.5 ; 95% CI : 9.9-65.4 ; p < 0.001)], home birth [( ORa = 1.9 ; 95% CI : 1.3-2.9 ; p = 0.001)], the inter-reproductive space less than 12 months [( ORa = 5.3 ; ORa : 3.3-8.5 ; P < 0.001 )], not using LLINs [( ORa = 2.2 ; 95% CI : 1.4-3.3 ; P < 0.001 )].Conclusion: Infant mortality in the post-crisis rural area of South Kivu remains high although it is relatively low compared to the national average (58 ‰). However, efforts still need to be made in order to hope to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.