Effects of Community-Based Care on Quality of Life Among Adolescent and Young Adult Ebola Survivors in Democratic Republic of Congo

ABSTRACT: Numerous studies have been conducted on the Ebola virus epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa, but few have looked at how community-based care affects the quality of life of adolescent and young adult Ebola survivors in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the focus of our study. The eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’s North-Kivu province is where the study was carried out. Scheduling a four-month intervention period a mixed method quasi-experimental study design was used. Participants were 10- to 24-year-old Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) adolescent and young adult survivors. With the help of 45 interviews at the conclusion of the survey and 46 interviews during the baseline survey, quantitative data was gathered for each group.After intervention, there was a 13.03% improvement in quality of life. Compared to the baseline, Ebola survivors had a 1.58 (p=0.36) higher likelihood of having a good quality of life. Difference-in-difference estimator was also 1.89(p=0.36), indicating interaction. Social support 2.19 (p=0.04) and confusion 0.26 (p=0.001) were variables that influenced quality of life among adolescent and young adult Ebola survivors on multivariate logistic regression. The study has demonstrated that the quality of life of teenage and young adult survivors is significantly improved by community-based care.

KEYWORDS : Adolescent, Community-Based Care, Ebola Virus Disease, Quality of life, young adult