Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33639921›Full record

ArticleBMC medical education2021

Establishing a postgraduate programme in nutritional epidemiology to strengthen resource capacity, academic leadership and research in the democratic republic of Congo.

Mapatano Mala Ali, Lyn Haskins, Vaughn John, Anne Hatløy, Silondile Luthuli, Sphindile Mapumulo, Ingunn M S Engebretsen, Thorkild Tylleskär, Paulin Mutombo, Christiane Horwood

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Article in BMC medical education, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Mapatano Mala AliKinshasa School of Public Health, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lyn HaskinsCentre for Rural Health, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. haskins@ukzn.ac.za.
Vaughn JohnSchool of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
Anne HatløyCentre for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Silondile LuthuliCentre for Rural Health, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Sphindile MapumuloCentre for Rural Health, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Ingunn M S EngebretsenCentre for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Thorkild TylleskärCentre for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Paulin MutomboKinshasa School of Public Health, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Christiane HorwoodCentre for Rural Health, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLow- and Middle-income countries (LMIC) face considerable health and nutrition challenges, many of which can be addressed through strong academic leadership and robust research translated into evidence-based practice. A North-South-South partnership between three universities was established to implement a master's programme in nutritional epidemiology at the Kinshasa School of Public Health (KSPH), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The partnership aimed to develop academic leadership and research capacity in the field of nutrition in the DRC. In this article we describe the educational approach and processes used, and discuss successes, challenges, and lessons learned.

methodsSelf-administered questionnaires, which included both open and closed questions, were sent to all graduates and students on the master's programme to explore students' experiences and perceptions of all aspects of the educational programme. Quantitative data was analysed using frequencies, and a thematic approach was used to analyse responses to open-ended questions.

resultsA two-year master's programme in Nutritional Epidemiology was established in 2014, and 40 students had graduated by 2020. Key elements included using principles of authentic learning, deployment of students for an internship at a rural residential research site, and support of selected students with bursaries. Academic staff from all partner universities participated in teaching and research supervision. The curriculum and teaching approach were well received by most students, although a number of challenges were identified. Most students reported benefits from the rural internship experience but were challenged by the isolation of the rural site, and felt unsupported by their supervisors, undermining students' experiences and potentially the quality of the research. Financial barriers were also reported as challenges by students, even among those who received bursaries.

conclusionThe partnership was successful in establishing a Master Programme in Nutritional Epidemiology increasing the number of nutrition researchers in the DRC. This approach could be used in other LMIC settings to address health and nutrition challenges.

Indexed as

Program EvaluationCapacity BuildingCross-Sectional StudiesCurriculumDemocratic Republic of the CongoEducation, GraduateEpidemiologyFemaleHumansLeadershipMaleNutritional SciencesProgram DevelopmentStudentsAfricaDRCEducationEpidemiologyLMICNorth-south-southNutritionPartnershipsResearch capacity

Identifiers

PMID33639921
PMCPMC7912884

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LicenceCC BY
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.