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Assessing the nature of asthma in African epidemiological studies: a scoping review protocol

ABSTRACT: Background Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory conditions in the world and is increasing in prevalence, particularly in Africa and other low-income countries. The disproportionately high numbers of premature deaths and severe or uncontrolled cases in many African countries are indicative of their inability to cope with a costly disease like asthma. Progress has, however, been made in understanding the complex and heterogeneous nature of the disease. The objective of this study will be to summarise the epidemiological literature on the nature of asthma in African countries. Methods We registered a study protocol for a scoping review. The review was designed following the Arksey and O’Malley framework. We will search PubMed/MEDLINE, African Journals Online (AJOL) and relevant grey literature (e.g. Google Scholar, EBSCOhost) from January 1990 onwards. Only primary epidemiological studies of asthma (e.g. frequency, disease mechanisms, associated risk factors and comorbidities) written in English and conducted in Africa will be included. Two reviewers will independently screen all citations, full-text articles and abstract data. Potential conflicts will be resolved through discussion. Findings will be reported using narrative synthesis and tabulation of the summaries. Discussion This scoping review will capture the state of the current epidemiological literature on asthma in African countries. Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. We anticipate this review will identify gaps and make recommendations for future areas of study. Scoping review registration Open Science Framework http://osf.io/n2p87/

SUBMITTER: Ndlovu V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7539529 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundToday's youth are growing up in an evolving digital world, and concerns about the potential detrimental effects of excessive screen use on biopsychosocial outcomes in childhood are mounting. Parents worry about the impacts of screen-use on their children's wellbeing but at the same time frequently fail to meet their own ideal screen time limits regarding their children's screen use. There is an opportunity to shift research focus away from inflexible and often unrealistic childhood screen time guidelines towards exploration of positive parenting strategies that may have multiple beneficial and significant effects on children's screen-related outcomes. An emerging body of literature suggests that screen time and nature exposure act on psychosocial outcomes in contrasting ways. There is evidence to suggest that exposure to natural environments may counteract some of the potential negative psychosocial effects of excessive screen use; however, this relationship is poorly understood. The overarching aim of this scoping review is to source, categorise, and synthesise existing research exploring the associations between nature exposure, screen use, and parenting across childhood.MethodsThis mixed-methods systematic scoping review will be conducted following Arksey and O'Malley's framework with methodological enhancements from Levac and associates and recommendations from the Joanna Briggs Institute's methodological guidance for conducting scoping reviews. Five electronic databases will be searched from August 2022 onwards. Two reviewers will independently screen titles, abstracts, and full-text articles. Peer reviewed articles related to the constructs of nature exposure, screen use, and parent/child relations will be considered in the context of early to late childhood. Study characteristics will be collated using a data charting tool collaboratively developed by the research team. Evidence will be presented using tabular and textual form and described using qualitative thematic analysis.DiscussionThis review will gather information about how key definitions are conceptualised, defined, and measured across the literature and map existing trends and areas for future research. It is intended that this review will inform and guide future research direction, recommendations, and programs aimed at supporting parents to navigate the challenges of parenting in a digital age. OSF REGISTRATION: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/TFZDV.

Project description:IntroductionHealth systems in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries are fragile and centralised. Consequently, majority of people have restricted access to healthcare services. Given the rise in the prevalence and burden of asthma in SSA, it is imperative to scrutinise the utilisation of healthcare services by people with asthma. We aim to understand, through this review, the extent of utilisation of healthcare services by asthma patients in SSA countries.Methods and analysisArksey and O'Malley's scoping review methodology framework will be used to guide the conduct of this scoping review. We will conduct a search of the literature on the electronic databases: Medline, (using PubMed interface), EMBASE, EBSCOHOST, Web of Science and Google Scholar, grey literature sources and the reference lists of key studies to identify studies appropriate for inclusion. Two reviewers will independently screen all abstracts and full-text studies for inclusion. Registration of the proposed scoping review on the PROSPERO has indicated that no similar work has been or is being done elsewhere. We will review studies published on the subject from January 2009 to May 2020 in SSA.Ethics and disseminationThe proposed scoping review will contribute towards the knowledge base on utilisation of healthcare services particularly for people with asthma. This will provide a better understanding of the extent of utilisation of healthcare services by asthma patients and ultimately contribute to improvement of quality of care for people suffering from asthma. The results from the review will enlighten and guide healthcare practitioners and researchers on developing appropriate and feasible interventions to increase the utilisation of healthcare services by asthma patients in resource-constrained settings in SSA countries. Results of this scoping review will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication, conference presentations and a 1-day stakeholder meeting.Prospero registration numberCRD42020154127.

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Assessing the nature of asthma in African epidemiological studies: a scoping review protocol

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