Protestant University in Congo

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), male engagement, social norms, and social networks mitigate family planning behavior. We discuss the adaptation of the Social Norms Exploration Tool (SNET), which identifies relevant social norms and community members upholding these norms, to inform the development of family planning interventions in the DRC. The SNET provides activity tools and templates to guide users through the following steps: (1) plan and prepare, (2) identify reference groups, (3) explore social norms, (4) analyze results, and (5) apply findings. The SNET approach resulted in discussion of social norms, particularly around birth spacing and gender norms framing the man as the decision-maker. However, despite applying a methodology specifically designed to identify social norms, other factors limiting use of contraceptive methods were identified in the process, including lack of education, rumors, and misconceptions. Adaptations were needed to include the full range of reference groups due to narrow phrasing of primary questions, and some of the participatory methods were overly complicated. Feedback from experienced data collectors suggested that the social norms framework is not intuitive, is difficult to apply correctly, and may require that data collectors have a stronger foundation in the relevant concepts to produce valid and actionable results. Although the SNET provides language for discussing normative factors and techniques to identify reference groups and social norms, modifications to the implementation process are recommended when adapting the tool for research.

Conflict, drought, and dependency on food import are leading concerns for food security in Eastern Africa (EA). This region is vulnerable to drought and the adverse effects of international security, due to its heavy reliance on rainfed agriculture and food imports. This chapter reviews evidence of the adverse effects of drought and the war in Europe on food security in EA. The literature has established that climate change, in general, and specifically drought, has already impacted people subsistence means significantly, evidenced by a decline in crop yield and food production. It has also indicated a price increase of imported food and non-food commodities since the launch of the Russia-Ukraine war. These factors affect all components of food security, which include, but are not limited to food availability, food accessibility , food utilisation, and food stability and, hence, increase the risk of hunger and violent conflicts in the region. The chapter has confirmed that there is general consensus that EA is among the regions that are most vulnerable to drought (climate change), as well as global security. The chapter suggests further that policymakers and development agencies should focus on formulating and implementing policies and programmes that would ensure that farmers across the region promote farm level adaptation strategies, as well as climate-smart agriculture (CSA), and climate-smart livelihoods (CSL). This should be done alongside other price regulating factors such as subsidies on staple food crops and fertilisers. It is also crucial that the region reduces its level of food imports by encouraging local production or substituting some of the import products by locally available materials. In this regard, social protection programmes must account for the potential increases in seasonal price variability to enhance household resilience to weather shocks.

The supremacy of Russia in Eastern Europe, including its hegemony in the Warsaw Pact until the collapse of socialism in the 1990s created a national pride that the country is determined to sustain at any cost. The conflict between this pride and NATO’s expansionary agenda has been a key factor in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Apart from the loss of lives, the war is affecting a host of strategic issues, including food security, energy supply and sustainable development, both regionally and globally. A scholarly study of its impact can, therefore, serve as one means of reimagining new geopolitics and geostrategy for the realization of security, economic and political goals. This chapter is a study along this line. It challenges the original notion of democratic peace in trying to define the true impact of the war as it identifies some subjectivity in the original notion. As a way forward, it recommends the creation of a platform for a global consciousness to seek and foster regional and international stability based on the UN alarm ‘War No More’, to privilege peaceful coexistence, enhance sustainable development, fight climate change, eradicate hunger and poverty, and make energy available, particularly in Africa. Secondly, the chapter recommends that the UN can improve on its Charter for the equality of all nations to prevent inter-nations wars that often end in human tragedies and ecological catastrophes.

The nexus of climate change and sustainable development is increasingly pervading debates in the Anthropocene, along with environment conflicts and climate wars. Past narratives on global warming show both activism and denialism; however, science is crystal clear that climate change and global warming result from the impacts of human activities on atmospheric conditions. While several inquiries on the present state of the planet underline how inaction on earlier warnings about the threats posed to the earth by carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions, few studies are dedicated to uncovering the potential of environmental peacebuilding to prevent further degradation of the structures that support life on earth. This chapter pinpoints two major frameworks for humanity’s prosperity and that of future generations: (1) planetary boundaries framework and (2) environmental peacebuilding theory. The latter consists of (i) understanding and addressing environmental conflicts and violence; (ii) defining, conceptualising and contextualising climate wars, (iii) exploring and implementing environmental peacemaking processes; (iv) utilising the tenets of environmental justice and social justice as means to respond to climate-induced conflicts; and (v) deepening the notion of care, protection and stewardship of the environment. Based on literary research design and methods, the chapter found that sustainable development and prosperity of future generations are underscored by humans’ ability to rise about selfish lucrative interests, denialism about scientific evidence of climate change’s root causes, developing conscientious stewards of the earth, and bridging environmental peacebuilding theory and sustainable development.

Justice processes involving children accused of war-related crimes and other violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws, as a result of their participation in hostilities, often end in contested outcomes because of the child soldiers’ paradoxical portrayals as victims, perpetrators and heroes. Similarly, the lack of justice endangers security and peace processes in war-affected communities. While domestic and international legislation set to adjudicate accusations levelled against children associated with hostilities grapples with striking a balance between the violations of the child’s rights (unlawful recruitments), serving the interests of justice for victims of child soldiers’ violent acts, and child soldiers’ criminal responsibility, some countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have made headway in holding child soldiers accountable, attaining justice for victims via traditional and restorative approaches and paving the way for community post-conflict sustainable peace with child soldiers. The refusal of the ICC to consider the Ugandan traditional mechanisms of accountability in the sentencing of Dominic Ongwen, the abducted child soldier of the Lord’s Resistance Army who perpetrated war crimes and crimes against humanity, has raised serious concerns about the future of traditional or indigenous jurisprudence in handling justice for former child soldiers. This chapter engages a dialectic argument drawn from literary research to argue for a justice model that takes into account cultural context, traditional values and the precedent of African jurisprudence, a compounded interplay of restorative retributivism and restorative sanctions against the logic of the mainstream conventional criminal justice system.

This volume features contributions that address climate change-induced or the related peace, security, conflict, and development challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. Given that climate change constitutes one of the threats to peace and security, we argue that peace and security are no longer grounded in traditional peacebuilding theories that have evolved from liberal to democratic peace theories—rather, they have become critical questions and areas of peace studies and environmental studies, under the umbrella of peace ecology—because the need for peace, even if it may be delayed, arises when conflicts have ensued. Thus, our arguments in producing this volume were to underscore the effects of peace ecology—which is positioned at the intersection of peace studies and environmental studies, as conceptualised by Kyrou (Int J Peace Stud 73–92, 2007). Our aim was also to explore the theoretical contribution of peace ecology in understanding and bridging environmental peace and conventional peace; integrating environmental questions, and the factors that trigger socio-political and environmental conflicts and violence. We also aimed to raise an awareness of the contributions of the “peace ecology paradigm” in ensuring an understanding of violence, climate change and sustainable development issues, and their implications for global peace and security. Last, we designed this volume in such a way that it would generate a pluridisciplinary body of knowledge that draws from pluralistic methodological approaches that the various contributors in this volume have explored and employed—from their diverse fields of studies and expertise. The authors of some chapters in this volume discuss various mechanisms that are susceptible of reducing the Earth systems’ vulnerabiliy to mitigate Anthropogenic climate change and global warming, and their effects on humanity, the ecosystem and biodiversity, and provide various models of peacebuilding to avert the ongoing socio-political violence in sub-Saharan Africa, and in the Ukraine. Thus, we contend that the planetary boundaries framework remains the realistic framework within which human and sustainable development can be pursued and attained.

The exposure of children to all forms of violence has resulted in schools becoming sites of violence. This kind of violence is embedded in the broader South African society. The problem is that South Africa is perceived as a violent country, and schools are subsequently violent places. Since 1994, efforts have been made towards ending violence in schools, but more attention has been given to halting corporal punishment. While punitive sanctions are predominantly the most utilised response to violence in the broader South African society, restorative justice approaches as a means of handling school violence and peace-building has been lacking. Very little has been done vis-à-vis rebuilding and restoring interpersonal relationships that were destroyed many years ago through colonisation and apartheid. Ongoing violence is experienced in the educational environment that some tie to past legacy of institutionalised violence that characterised the Apartheid regime. The target population was Grade 9 learners in 2019 who were going to Grade 10 in 2020. The study aimed to establish the most effective strategy for curbing school violence. Interviews were conducted with teachers, learners, parents, School Governing Body (SGB) members and community stakeholders. The findings revealed that restorative justice and Ubuntu ethics are principles that can be used to address school discipline issues in order to avert learners’ violent behaviours. The inquiry further found that non-violent conflict resolution mechanisms have the potential to settle disputes between learners and learners and teachers constructively, and lead to the restoration of relationships between affected parties. Issues around trust between parents and learners, open channels of communication between the parents and their children and encouraging good working relationship between learners, parents and teachers are paramount to building peace and transforming the school environment – making it peaceful and conducive to learning.

Denialism over rape cases deprives survivors of their human rights and dignity. The South Sudanese’s “honour culture” is aimed at protecting the reputation of local communities affected by rape incidence, and hiding the evils that may tarnish the good image of the South Sudanese society. At the same time, the lack of acknowledgement of the suffering caused by such violence against women throws rape survivors into a condition of perpetual victimisation and denies them justice. In this chapter, an examination is conducted on the conventional notion of honour culture linked to rape. The focus is on the attitudes of survivors and local individuals regarding the root causes of honour culture in relation to rape cases. It is noted that the silencing of victims and their lack of access to public justice exacerbate this issue. The public adjudication of sexual violence cases would garner significant attention, which goes against the principles of honour culture that the South Sudanese Society seeks to protect. These perspectives emerged from in-depth interviews and focus-group discussions with 36 participants, including political leaders, traditional leaders, women leaders, among whom were rape survivors and international NGO leaders. Thematic and content analytical methods were employed to examine and interpret the data set. It emerged from this study that the predicament of criminal justice that perpetuates rape injustices via honour culture preservation can be overcome by using the ubuntu restorative justice (URJ) practice which promotes dialogue, acknowledgement of guilt, empathy, repair of harm and human rights violation in view of restoring justice and human dignity. URJ prevents retaliation, encourages forgiveness and empowerment of victims – giving them a voice and addressing their violated rights and facilitating restoration after their ordeals in wartime.

Climate change (CC) is an existential threat globally, and the Great Lakes Region (GLR) is not immune to the impacts of these extreme events. Erratic weather and extreme events such as rainfall and droughts have serious impacts on agriculture, a major income pillar for African smallholder farmers, and an essential source of food. Climate vulnerability in the GLR is exacerbated by multiple biophysical, political, and socio-economic constraints, thus limiting adaptive capacity within the GLR. Climate vulnerabilities in the GLR suggest that research and development actors, including farmers themselves, must take action to invest massively in mechanisms that can mitigate the situation. In light of the emerging literature, this chapter documents the most recent literature on climate change and its impact on food security, including the impact on food resources, food availability, food accessibility, food utilisation and stability of food products, as well as overall food productivity, water sources and arable land in the GLR and proposes adaptation strategies based on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) to alleviate the impacts of the ongoing CC.

We aimed to assess the psychosocial impact from postoperative complications on the surgical workforce and the coping mechanisms they use following these complications in Uganda and Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This was a cross-sectional multi-center study conducted from first February 2022 to 31st March 2022 in the preselected main teaching hospitals of Uganda and Eastern DRC. We surveyed the surgical workforce (practicing surgeons, Obstetrician-Gynecologists, and residents in surgery/ Obstetrics-Gynecology) who had experienced postoperative complications in their career. Data was analysed using SPSS version 23. One hundred ninety-eight participants responded to the questionnaire. Worry about patient and reputation were the commonest psychological impacts in 54.0% and 45.5% of the participants respectively. Majority of the participants (55.1%) used positive coping mechanisms with a positive impact on their practice (94.4%). Being a female doctor (AOR = 2.637, CI 1.065–6.533, P = 0.036), worrying about reputation (AOR = 3.057, CI = 1.573–5.939, P = 0.001) and guilt after a complication (AOR = 4.417, CI = 2.253–8.659, P = <0.001) were predictors of a negative coping mechanism. Postoperative surgical complications continue to cause a huge psychological impact on the operating doctors in Uganda and the Eastern DRC. Female doctors, those that worry about the reputation and those that feel guilty following a complication should be given more support and guidance by peers when surgical complications occur to their patients.

Background The World Health Organization Africa region has high regional hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence and evidence suggests more frequent horizontal HBV transmission than other regions. Context-specific epidemiological studies are needed to inform additional HBV prevention measures. . Methods In the cross-sectional Horizontal and Vertical Transmission of Hepatitis B (HOVER-HBV) study, we introduced HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) screening alongside existing HIV screening as part of routine antenatal care (ANC) in high-volume maternity clinics in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. We recruited households of pregnant women (“index mothers”) who were HBsAg-positive and HBsAg-negative, defining households as “index+” and “index-,” respectively. Household members underwent HBsAg testing and an epidemiological survey. We evaluated HBsAg prevalence and potential transmission correlates. Results We enrolled 1,006 participants from 200 households (100 index+, 100 index-) across Kinshasa. HBsAg prevalence was more than twice as high in index+ households (5.0%; 95% CI: 2.8%-7.1%) as in index- households (1.9%; 0.6%-3.2%). HBsAg prevalence was 3.3 (0.9, 11.8) times as high among direct offspring in index+ vs index- households. Factors associated with HBsAg-positivity included older age, marriage, and having multiple recent partners or any new sexual partners among index mothers; and older age, lower household wealth, sharing nail clippers, and using street salons among offspring in index+ households. Conclusions Vertical and horizontal HBV transmission within households is ongoing in Kinshasa. Factors associated with infection reveal opportunities for HBV prevention efforts, including perinatal prevention, protection during sexual contact, and sanitation of shared personal items.

Background Typhoid Fever remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in low-income settings. The Severe Typhoid in Africa programme was designed to address regional gaps in typhoid burden data and identify populations eligible for interventions using novel typhoid conjugate vaccines. Methods A hybrid design, hospital-based prospective surveillance with population-based health-care utilisation surveys, was implemented in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Patients presenting with fever (≥37·5°C axillary or ≥38·0°C tympanic) or reporting fever for three consecutive days within the previous 7 days were invited to participate. Typhoid fever was ascertained by culture of blood collected upon enrolment. Disease incidence at the population level was estimated using a Bayesian mixture model. Findings 27 866 (33·8%) of 82 491 participants who met inclusion criteria were recruited. Blood cultures were performed for 27 544 (98·8%) of enrolled participants. Clinically significant organisms were detected in 2136 (7·7%) of these cultures, and 346 (16·2%) Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi were isolated. The overall adjusted incidence per 100 000 person-years of observation was highest in Kavuaya and Nkandu 1, Democratic Republic of the Congo (315, 95% credible interval 254–390). Overall, 46 (16·4%) of 280 tested isolates showed ciprofloxacin non-susceptibility. Interpretation High disease incidence (ie, >100 per 100 000 person-years of observation) recorded in four countries, the prevalence of typhoid hospitalisations and complicated disease, and the threat of resistant typhoid strains strengthen the need for rapid dispatch and implementation of effective typhoid conjugate vaccines along with measures designed to improve clean water, sanitation, and hygiene practices. Funding The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the prevalence of mental health issues could be greater than in other low-income and middle-income countries because of major risk factors related to armed conflicts and poverty. Given that mental health is an essential component of health, it is surprising that no systematic evaluation of mental health in the DRC has yet been undertaken. This study aims to undertake the first systematic review of mental health literacy and service provision in the DRC, to bridge this gap and inform those who need to develop an evidence base. This could support policymakers in tackling the issues related to limited mental health systems and service provision in DRC. Following Cochrane and PRISMA guidelines, a systematic (Web of Science, Medline, Public Health, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar) search was conducted (January 2000 and August 2023). Combinations of key blocks of terms were used in the search such as DRC, war zone, mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, sexual violence, war trauma, resilience, mental health systems and service provision. We followed additional sources from reference lists of included studies. Screening was completed in two stages: title and abstract search, and full-text screening for relevance and quality. Overall, 50 studies were included in the review; the majority of studies (n = 31) were conducted in the Eastern region of the DRC, a region devastated by war and sexual violence. Different instruments were used to measure participants’ mental health such as the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist (HSCL-25), The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9); General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), and Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS). Our study found that wartime sexual violence and extreme poverty are highly traumatic, and cause multiple, long-term mental health difficulties. We found that depression, anxiety, and PTSD were the most common problems in the DRC. Psychosocial interventions such as group therapy, family support, and socio-economic support were effective in reducing anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms. This systematic review calls attention to the need to support sexual violence survivors and many other Congolese people affected by traumatic events. This review also highlights the need for validating culturally appropriate measures, and the need for well-designed controlled intervention studies in low-income settings such as the DRC. Better public mental health systems and service provision could help to improve community cohesion, human resilience, and mental wellbeing. There is also an urgent need to address wider social issues such as poverty, stigma, and gender inequality in the DRC.

The objective of this retro-prospective and analytical study, which took place over a period of two years (January 2016 to December 2017; during the de-escalation of wars, was to determine the psycho-traumatic factors (PTSD, Depressions) in the pre- and post-conflict periods in the North Kivu province. The data collected will support and direct clinical treatment methods towards the clientele of young people in the region who are affected by psychotraumatic and psychosomatic factors. The collected data are also helpful for governmental and church organizations as well as NGO’s, which offer educational and vocational services to the affected youth in order to stabilize their life situation.

Introduction Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TDE) is an essential tool in the diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), alongside the Gold standard which is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is much more expensive. TDE is an easily accessible tool in developed countries but remains difficult to access in most rural areas of sub-Saharan African countries, making the diagnosis of LVH difficult. However, it is a predictive factor of cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients. The electrocardiogram being more accessible in these environments, we evaluated its performance in the diagnosis of LVH and especially sought to predict left ventricular mass from the most sensitive and specific electrocardiographic score in our study, the Romhilt-Estes. Method This is an analytical study of a consecutive series of cases, which covered the period from July to September 2018, in five hospital facilities in Kinshasa. Socio-demographic parameters, ECG, and TDE were studied. Spearman's Rho correlation coefficient and Bland Altman concordance test were used for numerical values. And multiple linear regression modeling was used for the entire workforce and in each sex separately. Results The area below the ROC curve of the Romhilt-Estes score was significantly greater than that of the other ECG indices (X²=4.78; p = 0.0289); the most important correlation coefficient was observed between the MVG and the Romhilt-Estes score (0.436) with better alignment and dispersion (95% CI) and finally in the multiple linear regression, age and the score of Romhilt-Estes emerged in both sexes as independent determinants of LVM. Conclusion Age and sex are variables that influence the modeling of LVM based on the Romhilt-Estes score. But the mathematical models found have a weak prediction.

Introduction: Acute ethmoiditis (AE) in children mainly concerns the ethmoid sinus. It is often diagnosed after its externalization. It is a serious infection, whose ocular and endocranial complications can jeopardize the visual and vital functional prognosis. The treatment is essentially medical based on the combination of antibiotics. Case Report: Description of a case of ethmoiditis in a 3-year-old child consulting for eyelid edema that progressed within five days. The general condition was altered by a fever of 38.5°C, with an unwell appearance and left eyelid edema with a tendency to reduction of the eyelid fissure was noted. The ear, nose, throat (ENT) examination showed left perinasal swelling affecting the nasal pyramid, the zygomatic arch, and the left periorbital region. The left nasal cavity was of reduced caliber with the presence of mucopurulent secretions through the ipsilateral nostril orifice. Acute externalized ethmoiditis was made as a clinical diagnosis. The clinical evolution was good under antibiotic therapy for 15 days with parenteral ceftriaxone which will be relayed by amoxi-clavulanic ac orally on the seventh day; parenteral metronidazole with a PO relay on the fifth day; parenteral dexamethasone and paracetamol for five days; argyrol nasally for seven days. Conclusion: Acute ethmoiditis remains an infantile pathology with multiple neighborhood and remote complications, including periorbital and endocranial cellulitis involving vital and visual prognosis.

Introduction and importance The association in the occurrence of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (HPS) is 0.25 % to 0.44 % between monozygotic twins and 0.05 % to 0.10 % in dizygotic twins. A combination of genetic and environmental factors may have contributed to the occurrence of HPS. In view of the few related cases reported recently, we present two dizygotic twins who were diagnosed with HPS. Case presentation This report describes a rare case of congenital infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in preterm dizygotic twins diagnosed early, in which the first case presented with severe clinical features and managed surgically while the second presented with moderate features and hence managed non-operatively with atropine for 14 days. At 6 months of age, both twins continued to tolerate feeds, demonstrated satisfactory weight gain and had achieved appropriate developmental milestones. The postoperative course was uneventful in the twin A. Clinical discussion Congenital HPS in premature twins remains an underdiagnosed pathology due to its clinical picture mimicking digestive intolerance to feeds. The mean age at diagnosis is about 38 days, and only 0.4 % of all children suffering from HPS show symptoms in the first 3 days of life. Symptom relief is achieved after a classic pyloromyotomy is performed by a more preferable laparoscopic technique or using the open surgical technique. Conclusion If one of the dizygotic twins has HPS, the other baby should be evaluated for the same diagnosis as early as possible, to ensure timely management. HPS with moderate clinical features can be treated with atropine for 14 days while severe HPS should be treated by pyloromyotomy.

Background Infant mortality is one of the major health indicators to appreciate the population health and the organization of the health system. Since the 1990s, the infant mortality rate (IMR) declines less rapidly in France as compared to other Western countries, taking the country from 7th to 27th place in 2017. As the Paris region recorded a quarter of the under one French mortality, we aimed to analyze the evolution of the regional IMR over the last two decades. Methods Using 2000 to 2019 data from the National Institute of Statistic and Economic Study on births and deaths, we ran joinpoint regressions model to analyze the evolution of mortality of infant under one. We also examined IMR by age at death subgroups (early neonatal [Day 0-D6], late neonatal [D7-27], and post-neonatal[D28-364]). We also analyzed territorial disparities. Results Over 20 years, 13,401 deaths and 3,389,048 live births were recorded among children under one in the Paris region, IMR: 3.,93 deaths per 1000 live births, an average of 18% higher than the national IMR. Data from evolution shows that Paris region’ IMR was 4.51‰ in 2001 and reached its lowest level in 2013 with 3.65‰ before rising to 3.99‰ in 2019. The joinpoint regression model shows a decline in the IMR between 2000 and 2003 (-3.78% annually), followed by a slow and steady decline between 2003 and 2011 (-1.57%). However, from 2011 to 2019 a significant increase was observed in IMR (+1.48% annually). The analysis of deaths by age-group shows that the IMR increase was mainly driven by the increase in early neonatal mortality and a little less by late neonatal deaths while the post-neonatal mortality continued to decrease. Additional analyses showed territorial disparities in global and subgroups IMR with higher IMR in poorer areas. Conclusions These results are of a higher importance and should alert French authorities. Further studies, considering risk factors of infant mortality are needed to understand the reason of such increase. Key messages • We showed anhistoric and worrying increase in infant mortality in the Paris region. • We showed territorial disparities in global and subgroups IMR with higher IMR in poorer of the Paris region areas.

Aim This research aimed to evaluate health and nutritional practices of mothers during pregnancy and birth outcomes of their newborns in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), comparing semi-urban and rural areas. Background Health and nutrition during pregnancy are crucial for adequate development of the fetus. Health care plays an important role but is often poor in rural areas of developing countries. Methods A baseline survey of a nutritional follow-up study was conducted in two semi-urban and one rural hospital in the vicinity of Bukavu, DRC. In total, 471 mother-child pairs were recruited after delivery. Data collection included socio-demographic parameters, nutrition and health measures during pregnancy, and anthropometric parameters. Semi-urban and rural study locations were compared and predictors of birth weight evaluated. Findings Semi-urban and rural mothers differed significantly in nutrition and health practices during pregnancy, as well as birth outcomes. In the rural area, there was a higher rate of newborns with low birth weight (10.7%) and lower rates of antimalarial medication (80.8%), deworming (24.6%), consumption of nutritional supplements (81.5%), and being informed about nutrition by medical staff (32.8%) during pregnancy as well as practicing family planning (3.1%) than in the semi-urban areas (2.7%, 88.6%, 88.3%; 89.3%, 46.5%, and 17.1%, respectively). Birth weight was positively predicted by increasing maternal MUAC, age, and gestational age and negatively by rural location, being primipara, being a farmer, and female newborn sex. Conclusion The findings highlight the importance of strengthening antenatal care activities especially in rural areas in order to ameliorate both maternal and infantile health and ensure appropriate development.