TITLE:
Evaluation of a Competency-Based Didactic Intervention to Strengthen Nursing Students’ Capacity to Prevent Cyproheptadine and Dexamethasone Misuse among Adolescents in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Quasi-Experimental Study
AUTHORS:
Christian Matondo Dianzenza, Guillaume Bofio Bina, Ebuel Mukau, Marie-Claire Omanyondo Ohambe, Emery Kafinga Luzolo
KEYWORDS:
Competency-Based Education, Nursing Students, Medication Misuse, Cyproheptadine, Dexamethasone, Adolescent Health, Preventive Competencies, Theory of Planned Behavior, Quasi-Experimental Study, Democratic Republic of the Congo
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.16 No.8,
August
24,
2026
ABSTRACT: Background: The inappropriate use of cyproheptadine and dexamethasone for weight gain and body-image modification is a potential medication-safety concern among adolescents. Nursing professionals can contribute to prevention through health education, risk communication, and promotion of rational medicine use. Appropriate training is therefore needed to equip nursing students with relevant preventive knowledge and competencies. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effect of a competency-based didactic intervention on knowledge, attitudes, self-reported preventive competencies, and intention to act among A2 nursing students regarding the prevention of cyproheptadine and dexamethasone misuse among adolescents. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test study was conducted among 60 A2 nursing students from three Medical Technical Institutes in Kinshasa: Kintambo, Selembao, and Luyindu. Each institute contributed 20 students, including 10 in the intervention group and 10 in the comparison group. The intervention addressed medication misuse, medication safety, body image, risk communication, and preventive action through competency-based learning. Outcomes were assessed before and immediately after the intervention using a structured questionnaire informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior. Within-group changes were assessed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and between-group differences in change scores were assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The analyses indicated greater improvements in the intervention group across knowledge, attitudes, self-reported preventive competencies, and intention to act. Knowledge gains were greater in the intervention group at Kintambo (+8.2 vs. +4.5 points; U = 87.0, p = 0.005) and Selembao (+9.0 vs. +5.1 points; U = 82.0, p = 0.016), but not significantly at Luyindu (+7.1 vs. +4.6 points; U = 71.0, p = 0.119). Conclusion: The findings suggest potential educational benefits of the competency-based intervention. However, they concern nursing students and do not demonstrate reduced medication misuse among adolescents. Simulated statistics must be replaced with verified results from the original participant-level dataset before submission.