Discrimination of the Socio-Economic Impact of the Corona Virus Disease Pandemic in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Background and Aim: It has been ten months since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, the households have been on finding a cure for the disease. Largely neglected is the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic on the population in the country. The aim of the study is to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the living conditions of households in Kinshasa. Methods: The design of this study is a cross-sectional study. A standard questionnaire was used to collect the data. The Revised Event Impact Scale (IES-R) was used to assess the socioeconomic impact of households. Factors with significant impact were sought by wald’s discriminant and logistic regression analysis. Results: About four in five respondents had a significantly psychological impact (ISE-R score > 1). Serious socio-economic impact was significantly associated with women, a liberal profession, a low level of education, and attending revival churches. On the other hand, the use of a mask, regular hand washing, knowledge of the consequences of containment and knowledge of the mode of transmission of COVID-19 reduced the risk of significant impact. Conclusion: Approximately 85% households surveyed had a significantly socioeconmic impact due to the pandemic which highlights the need for more longitudinal studies to be conducted on this age group. Urgent care and appropriate formulation of policies are needed to address the identified problems and to provide care to those in need.