Toddler exposure to flame retardant chemicals: Magnitude, health concern and potential risk- or protective factors of exposure: Observational studies summarized in a systematic review

IntroductionSelf-harm and suicidal behaviour represent major global health problems, which account for significant proportions of the disease burden in low-income and middle-income countries, including Ghana. This review aims to synthesise the available and accessible evidence on prevalence estimates, correlates, risk and protective factors, the commonly reported methods and reasons for self-harm and suicidal behaviour in Ghana.Methods and analysisWe will conduct a systematic review reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement (2009) recommendations. Regional and global electronic databases (African Journals OnLine, African Index Medicus, APA PsycINFO, Global Health, MEDLINE and PubMed) will be searched systematically up to December 2021 for observational studies and qualitative studies that have reported prevalence estimates, correlates, risk and protective factors, methods and reasons for self-harm and suicidal behaviour in Ghana. The electronic database searches will be supplemented with reference harvesting and grey literature searching in Google Scholar and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global for postgraduate dissertations. Only records in English will be included. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (2018) will be used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. Meta-analysis or narrative synthesis or both will be used, contingent on the extent of heterogeneity across eligible observational studies.Ethics and disseminationConsidering that this is a systematic review of accessible and available literature, we will not seek ethical approval. On completion, this review will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal, be disseminated publicly at (mental) health conferences with focus on self-harm and suicide prevention. The important findings would also be shared with key national stakeholder groups in Ghana: Ghana Association for Suicide Prevention, Ghana Mental Health Authority, Ghana Psychological Association, Centre for Suicide and Violence Research, Accra and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health.Prospero registration numberCRD42021234622.

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What keeps medical students healthy and well? A systematic review of observational studies on protective factors for health and well-being during medical education

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-019-1532-z ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Thomas Kötter ◽

Stephan Fuchs ◽

Marcus Heise ◽

Henna Riemenschneider ◽

Linda Sanftenberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Protective Factors ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Well Being ◽

Health And Well Being

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Dietary factors and diabetes-related health outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027298 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. e027298

Author(s):

Janett Barbaresko ◽

Manuela Neuenschwander ◽

Lukas Schwingshackl ◽

Sabrina Schlesinger

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Dietary Factors ◽

Dietary Behaviour ◽

Health Concern

IntroductionType 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major health concern associated with several comorbidities such as diabetic chronic kidney disease, neuropathy and cardiovascular diseases. Many of these complications may be preventable by an adequate lifestyle, including a favourable dietary behaviour, additionally to pharmacological management. In general, dietary guidelines for patients with diabetes recommend a hypocaloric diet to achieve a normal weight, but there is a lack of detailed instructions on specific nutrients and foods to prevent diabetes-related outcomes. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarise the available evidence on the association between dietary factors and health-related outcomes in patients with T2D.Methods and analysisA systematic literature search will be conducted in PubMed and Web of Science in May 2019 to identify prospective observational studies investigating dietary factors in association with major complications in patients with T2D. We will include studies investigating dietary patterns, food groups, foods, macronutrients and micronutrients as well as secondary plant compounds. As diabetes-related outcomes, we will include macrovascular (cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases) and microvascular outcomes (nephropathy, neuropathy and retinopathy), as well as cancer, quality of life, depression, cognitive disorders and mortality. We will conduct dose-response meta-analyses using random effects models. We will investigate heterogeneity across studies and publication bias. To assess the risk of bias and quality of the included studies, we will use the Cochrane risk of bias tool ROBINS-I and the quality of evidence will be assessed using Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation.Ethics and disseminationAs the systematic review is based on published studies, ethical considerations are not required. The systematic review and meta-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed Journal.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018110669

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Post-Traumatic Stress Reactions in Caregivers of Children and Adolescents/Young Adults with Severe Diseases: A Systematic Review of Risk and Protective Factors

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18010189 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 189

Author(s):

Claudia Carmassi ◽

Valerio Dell’Oste ◽

Claudia Foghi ◽

Carlo Antonio Bertelloni ◽

Eugenia Conti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Young Adults ◽

Protective Factors ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Potential Risk ◽

Traumatic Stress ◽

Risk And Protective Factors ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Post Traumatic

Severe illnesses in children and adolescents/young adults (AYAs) may represent a complex burden for patients and their caregivers, including a wide range of mental disorders, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Few events are as potentially traumatizing as having a son or a daughter diagnosed with a severe, life-threatening, or disabling disease. The presence of PTSD symptoms in caregivers may compromise their efficacy as caregivers and negatively affect the child’s well-being. This systematic review aims at outlining potential risk and protective factors for the development of PTSD symptoms in caregivers of children and AYAs affected by severe acute or chronic illnesses. Thirty-one studies on caregivers of children and AYAs affected by severe, acute, or chronic diseases were included. Socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics, illness-related distress, psychiatric symptoms, support, and coping styles were found as potential risk/protective factors across studies. It is crucial to consider risk factors affecting caregivers of severely ill young patients, in order to plan focused interventions aimed at preventing an adverse clinical outcome in caregivers and at enhancing caregivers’ coping skills, in order to ultimately improve their quality of life.

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Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity in Malaysian Adolescents: A Systematic Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16040603 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 603 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Shooka Mohammadi ◽

Muhammad Jalaludin ◽

Tin Su ◽

Maznah Dahlui ◽

Mohd Azmi Mohamed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Eating Habits ◽

Health Concern ◽

Unhealthy Eating ◽

Diet And Physical Activity ◽

Malaysian Adolescents

The increased prevalence of unhealthy eating habits and sedentary lifestyles among Malaysian adolescents has become a public health concern. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize evidence from observational studies related to diet and physical activity (PA) among Malaysian adolescents (13–18 years) and to recognize the associations between determinants of diet and PA and diet and PA behaviours. A systematic search for observational studies published from August 1990 through August 2017 was conducted via PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane and Web of Science. A total of 18 studies met the inclusion criteria; these were independently extracted by two reviewers. Gender and ethnicity were the most commonly studied correlates of diet and PA; males were more physically active and they tended to have poorer diet quality and higher energy and macronutrient intakes in comparison to females; Malay adolescents had a lower diet quality and Chinese adolescents spent less time in PA compared to other ethnicities. However, the significance of these associations was often small or inconsistent. This review highlights the lack of longitudinal observational studies but summarizes the best available evidence for policymakers and public health practitioners to improve the diet and the level of PA in Malaysian adolescents.

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Recurrent SARS-CoV-2 infections and their potential risk to public health – a systematic review

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0261221 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (12) ◽

pp. e0261221

Author(s):

Seth Kofi Abrokwa ◽

Sophie Alice Müller ◽

Alba Méndez-Brito ◽

Johanna Hanefeld ◽

Charbel El Bcheraoui

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Recurrence Rate ◽

Potential Risk ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Case Reports ◽

Relevant Literature ◽

Contact Tracing ◽

Epidemiological Characteristics

Objective To inform quarantine and contact-tracing policies concerning re-positive cases—cases testing positive among those recovered. Materials and methods We systematically reviewed and appraised relevant literature from PubMed and Embase for the extent of re-positive cases and their epidemiological characteristics. Results In 90 case reports/series, a total of 276 re-positive cases were found. Among confirmed reinfections, 50% occurred within 90 days from recovery. Four reports related onward transmission. In thirty-five observational studies, rate of re-positives ranged from zero to 50% with no onward transmissions reported. In eight reviews, pooled recurrence rate ranged from 12% to 17.7%. Probability of re-positive increased with several factors. Conclusion Recurrence of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test is commonly reported within the first weeks following recovery from a first infection.

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The association between dietary inflammatory index and risk of central obesity in adults: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research ◽

10.1024/0300-9831/a000648 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 90 (5-6) ◽

pp. 535-552 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mahdieh Abbasalizad Farhangi ◽

Mahdi Vajdi

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Central Obesity ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Weighted Mean Difference ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Dietary Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Inflammatory Status ◽

Obesity Indices

Abstract. Backgrounds: Central obesity, as a pivotal component of metabolic syndrome is associated with numerous co-morbidities. Dietary factors influence central obesity by increased inflammatory status. However, recent studies didn’t evaluate the association between central obesity and dietary inflammation index (DII®) that give score to dietary factors according to their inflammatory potential. In the current systematic review and meta-analysis, we summarized the studies that investigated the association between DII® with central obesity indices in the general populations. Methods: In a systematic search from PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Sciences and Cochrane electronic databases, we collected relevant studies written in English and published until 30 October 2019. The population of included studies were apparently healthy subjects or individuals with obesity or obesity-related diseases. Observational studies that evaluated the association between DII® and indices of central obesity including WC or WHR were included. Results: Totally thirty-two studies were included; thirty studies were cross-sectional and two were cohort studies with 103071 participants. Meta-analysis of observational studies showed that higher DII® scores were associated with 1.81 cm increase in WC (Pooled weighted mean difference (WMD) = 1.813; CI: 0.785–2.841; p = 0.001). Also, a non-significant increase in the odds of having higher WC (OR = 1.162; CI: 0.95–1.43; p = 0.154) in the highest DII category was also observed. In subgroup analysis, the continent, dietary assessment tool and gender were the heterogeneity sources. Conclusion: The findings proposed that adherence to diets with high DII® scores was associated with increased WC. Further studies with interventional designs are necessary to elucidate the causality inference between DII® and central obesity indices.

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