scholarly journals Assessment Tools for Executive Function and Adaptive Function Following Brain Pathology Among Children in Developing Country Contexts: a Scoping Review of Current Tools

Author(s):  
Kwabena Kusi-Mensah ◽  
Nana Dansoah Nuamah ◽  
Stephen Wemakor ◽  
Joel Agorinya ◽  
Ramata Seidu ◽  
...  

AbstractSeveral tools have been developed to assess executive function (EFs) and adaptive functioning, although in mainly Western populations. Information on tools for low-and-middle-income country children is scanty. A scoping review of such instruments was therefore undertaken.We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis- Scoping Review extension (PRISMA-ScR) checklist (Tricco et al., in Annals of Internal Medicine 169(7), 467–473, 2018). A search was made for primary research papers of all study designs that focused on development or adaptation of EF or adaptive function tools in low-and-middle-income countries, published between 1st January 1894 to 15th September 2020. 14 bibliographic databases were searched, including several non-English databases and the data were independently charted by at least 2 reviewers.The search strategy identified 5675 eligible abstracts, which was pruned down to 570 full text articles. These full-text articles were then manually screened for eligibility with 51 being eligible. 41 unique tools coming in 49 versions were reviewed. Of these, the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF- multiple versions), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Go/No-go and the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure (ROCF) had the most validations undertaken for EF tests. For adaptive functions, the tools with the most validation studies were the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS- multiple versions) and the Child Function Impairment Rating Scale (CFIRS- first edition).There is a fair assortment of tests available that have either been developed or adapted for use among children in developing countries but with limited range of validation studies. However, their psychometric adequacy for this population was beyond the scope of this paper.

Author(s):  
Christina T. Mathias ◽  
Solange Mianda ◽  
Julius N. Ohdihambo ◽  
Mbuzeleni Hlongwa ◽  
Alice Singo-Chipofya ◽  
...  

Background: Kangaroo mother care (KMC) has been widely adopted in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) to minimise low birthweight infants’ (LBWIs) adverse outcomes. However, the burden of neonatal and child mortality remains disproportionately high in LMICs.Aim: Thus, this scoping review sought to map evidence on the barriers, challenges and facilitators of KMC utilisation by parents of LBWIs (parent of low birthweight infant [PLBWI]) in LMICs.Methods: We searched for studies conducted in LMICs and published in English between January 1990 and August 2020 from SciELO, Google Scholar, JSTOR, LILACS, Academic search complete, PubMed, CINAHL with full text, and Medline databases. We adopted Arksey and O’Malley’s framework for conducting scoping reviews. Potential studies were exported to Endnote X7 reference management software for abstract and full article screening. Two independent reviewers did a parallel abstract and full article screening using a standardised form. The results were analysed using thematic content analysis.Results: We generated 22 040 studies and after duplicate removal, 42 studies were eligible for full-text screening and 22 studies, most form sub-Saharan Africa, were included in the content analysis. Eight themes emerged from the analysis: access, buy-in, co-ordination and collaboration, medical issues, motivation, social support-gender obligation and empowerment, time and timing and traditional/cultural norms.Conclusion: Identifying factors affecting KMC may optimise KMC utilisation. Additional studies aiming at identifying influencing factors that affect KMC utilisation amongst PLBWIs’ in LMICs need to be conducted to provide evidence-based strategies to enhance practice, inform policy and decision-makers in KMC utilisation amongst the PLBWIs in LMICs and beyond.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0251633
Author(s):  
Joyce Twahafifwa Shatilwe ◽  
Desmond Kuupiel ◽  
Tivani P. Mashamba-Thompson

Background A majority of women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are not able to access healthcare information due to different factors. This scoping review aimed to map the literature on access to healthcare information by women of reproductive age in LMICs. Methods The literature search was conducted through the following databases: Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, EBSCOhost (Academic search complete, CINAHL with full text, MEDLINE with full text, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO), Emerald, Embase, published and peer-reviewed journals, organizational projects, reference lists, and grey literature. Results A total of 377 457 articles were identified from all the databases searched. Of these, four articles met inclusion criteria after full article screening and were included for data extraction. The themes that emerged from our study are as follows: accessibility, financial accessibility/affordability, connectivity, and challenges. This study demonstrated that there are minimal interventions that enable women of reproductive age to access healthcare information in terms of accessibility, financial accessibility, and connectivity. Conclusion The findings of the study revealed poor access and utilization of healthcare information by women of reproductive age. We, therefore, recommend primary studies in other LMICs to determine the accessibility, financial accessibility, connectivity, and challenges faced by women of reproductive age in LMICs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Mulimba Were ◽  
SAVERIO STRANGES ◽  
Ishor Sharma ◽  
Juan-Camilo Vargas-Gonzalez ◽  
M. Karen Campbell

Introduction: The majority of the populations in Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) are encountering the double burden of malnutrition (DBM): the coexistence of both undernutrition and overnutrition sequalae. With DBM being a new phenomenon in research, little is known about its etiology, operational definitions and risk factors influencing its manifestation. The proposed scoping review is aimed at mapping literature with regards to the DBM phenomenon among preschool children and women of reproductive age in LMICs who are among the most high-risk groups to encounter DBM. Methods: A comprehensive literature search will be conducted in the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, LILACS and ProQuest Dissertations & Thesis Global. Additionally, searches in other government and institutional sources (World Health Organization website and university repositories) and forward and backward citation tracking of seminal articles will also be done. Two reviewers will independently conduct title and abstract screening and full text screening. Similarly, data extraction and coding will independently be done by two reviewers. Information extracted from included literature will be analysed qualitatively using thematic analysis approach and reported as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Ethics and Dissemination: Ethical approval is not required for this study because the review is based on literature from publicly available sources. The dissemination of our findings will be done through presentations in relevant conferences and publication in a peer-reviewed journal.


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nessa Ryan ◽  
Vida Rebello ◽  
Desiree Gutierrez ◽  
Kameko Washburn ◽  
Alvaro Zevallos Barboza ◽  
...  

Background: Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally and an increasing concern in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) where, due to limited capacity to treat stroke, preventative efforts are critically important. Although some research on evidence-based interventions for stroke prevention in LMIC exists, there remains a significant gap in understanding of their implementation across various contexts in LMIC. Objectives: In this scoping review, our objective was to identify and synthesize the implementation outcomes (using Proctor et al.’s taxonomy, 2011) for stroke prevention interventions, as well as to describe the diverse interventions employed. Methods: Eligible studies were empirical, focused on implementation of stroke prevention programs or policies, and occurred in at least one LMIC. Five databases were searched, including PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Web of Science. Two reviewers independently assessed studies for selection and charted data; discrepancies were resolved through discussion with a third reviewer until consensus was reached. Narrative synthesis was used to analyze and interpret the findings. Results: Studies were predominantly focused in Asia, targeting primary or secondary prevention, and facility-based. Interventions were conducted at the level of individual (n=11), system (n=12), or both (n=4). Various implementation outcomes were reported, most commonly cost (n=10), acceptability (n=7), fidelity (n=7), and feasibility (n=6), but also adoption (n=4), penetration (n=3), appropriateness (n=1), and sustainability (n=1). Conclusions: Findings highlight the breadth of evidence-based interventions for stroke prevention available to implement in LMIC settings, including culturally acceptable education interventions, cost-effective medications, and community-based interventions implemented by community health workers. Implementation outcomes remain under-reported, and more rigorous research is needed to better plan and evaluate the implementation of these interventions to prevent stroke.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document