Volume 84, Issue 1, April 2026, Pages 50–57
Doris Bengibabuya Hombanyi1, Elias Bashimbe Raphaël2, Charles Wafula3, and Careena Otieno4
1 Department of Community Health of Higher Institute of Agroforestry and Environmental Management of Kahuzi-Bièga (ISAGE-KB), South Kivu Province, RD Congo
2 Department of Community Health of Higher Institute of Agroforestry and Environmental Management of Kahuzi-Bièga (ISAGE-KB), South Kivu Province, RD Congo
3 Community Health and Development of Great Lakes University of Kisumu, Kisumu Province, Kenya
4 Community Health and Development of Great Lakes University of Kisumu, Kisumu Province, Kenya
Original language: English
Copyright © 2026 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Child undernutrition remains a critical public health challenge in fragile and conflict-affected settings, where community-based delivery systems play a central role. This study assessed the effectiveness of the functional capacities of Community Animation Cells (CAC) in improving the nutritional status of children under five in South Kivu. Methodology: A quasi-experimental study with a non-randomized control group was conducted in the Bunyakiri Health Zone, comparing intervention and control areas. A total of 280 households with children aged 0–59 months were surveyed at baseline and endline. Quantitative data were analyzed using Difference-in-Differences models with Poisson regression and generalized estimating equations to account for clustering, complemented by qualitative thematic analysis. Results: Households exposed to strengthened CACs showed significantly higher odds of optimal infant and young child feeding practices, including continued breastfeeding up to 24 months (aOR = 1.044; p = 0.032) and adequate meal frequency (aOR = 0.689; p = 0.045). Hygiene practices such as handwashing at critical times were strongly associated with CAC activities (aOR = 1.193; p = 0.002). By April 2024, exclusive breastfeeding in the intervention zone reached 93.6% compared with 58.2% in the control zone, while children with MUAC > 125 mm increased to 95.5% versus 58.0%. Difference-in-Differences analyses confirmed a statistically significant net intervention effect on key nutrition indicators. Conclusion: Strengthening CAC functional capacities significantly improved nutrition-related practices and nutritional outcomes among children under five. Scaling up CAC-based interventions with sustained supervision and reliable nutrition supply systems is recommended to enhance community-level nutrition impact.
Author Keywords: community-based nutrition, child undernutrition, community animation cells.
Doris Bengibabuya Hombanyi1, Elias Bashimbe Raphaël2, Charles Wafula3, and Careena Otieno4
1 Department of Community Health of Higher Institute of Agroforestry and Environmental Management of Kahuzi-Bièga (ISAGE-KB), South Kivu Province, RD Congo
2 Department of Community Health of Higher Institute of Agroforestry and Environmental Management of Kahuzi-Bièga (ISAGE-KB), South Kivu Province, RD Congo
3 Community Health and Development of Great Lakes University of Kisumu, Kisumu Province, Kenya
4 Community Health and Development of Great Lakes University of Kisumu, Kisumu Province, Kenya
Original language: English
Copyright © 2026 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Child undernutrition remains a critical public health challenge in fragile and conflict-affected settings, where community-based delivery systems play a central role. This study assessed the effectiveness of the functional capacities of Community Animation Cells (CAC) in improving the nutritional status of children under five in South Kivu. Methodology: A quasi-experimental study with a non-randomized control group was conducted in the Bunyakiri Health Zone, comparing intervention and control areas. A total of 280 households with children aged 0–59 months were surveyed at baseline and endline. Quantitative data were analyzed using Difference-in-Differences models with Poisson regression and generalized estimating equations to account for clustering, complemented by qualitative thematic analysis. Results: Households exposed to strengthened CACs showed significantly higher odds of optimal infant and young child feeding practices, including continued breastfeeding up to 24 months (aOR = 1.044; p = 0.032) and adequate meal frequency (aOR = 0.689; p = 0.045). Hygiene practices such as handwashing at critical times were strongly associated with CAC activities (aOR = 1.193; p = 0.002). By April 2024, exclusive breastfeeding in the intervention zone reached 93.6% compared with 58.2% in the control zone, while children with MUAC > 125 mm increased to 95.5% versus 58.0%. Difference-in-Differences analyses confirmed a statistically significant net intervention effect on key nutrition indicators. Conclusion: Strengthening CAC functional capacities significantly improved nutrition-related practices and nutritional outcomes among children under five. Scaling up CAC-based interventions with sustained supervision and reliable nutrition supply systems is recommended to enhance community-level nutrition impact.
Author Keywords: community-based nutrition, child undernutrition, community animation cells.
How to Cite this Article
Doris Bengibabuya Hombanyi, Elias Bashimbe Raphaël, Charles Wafula, and Careena Otieno, “Evaluation of the effectiveness of the functional capacities of Community Animation Cells in improving the nutritional status of children under five in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo,” International Journal of Innovation and Scientific Research, vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 50–57, April 2026.
