Health, quality of life, and wellbeing of older slum dwellers in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review

Abstract Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, debilitating disease affecting children worldwide. Several studies have explored the disease causes a significant problem leading to a diminished quality of life, for the affected children but systematic evaluation of such studies in Africa is yet to be reported. Therefore, this scoping review aims to map research evidence on children with AD and their quality of life (QoL) in sub-Saharan Africa.Methods: The scoping review will follow the Arksey and O’Mally methodological framework. The electronic databases to be searched will include: PubMed, EBSCOhost (Academic search complete, CINAHL PsycINFO, and Health Sources), Scopus, and Google Scholar for published literature between 2000 and 2021. Only literature written in English will be included. The search strategy for the databases will include keywords, Medical Subject Headings terms and Boolean operators. The reference list of the included sources of evidence, and the WHO website will also be consulted for evidence relating to QoL of children with AD in Sab-Saharan Africa (SSA). Following title searching, two independent reviewers will conduct screening of abstracts and full text articles. Eligibility criteria will guide the screenings. This review will include studies conducted in SSA, publication focusing on quality of life and associated factors of AD in children. Data will be extracted from the included studies, analyzed qualitatively; NVIVO software V.11 will be usedand the emerging themes reported narratively. The mixed-method appraisal tool (MMAT) will be employed for quality appraisal of included studies.Discussion: We look forward to findings of several studies that describe the QoL and associated factors among children with AD and that report on using different diagnostic criteria, severity scaling and QoL measuring scale tools used to ascertain the presence of AD, scale severity of AD and impact of AD on quality of life among children. The study findings will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal, peer presentations, and presentations at relevant conferences.

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Ageing, urban marginality, and health in Ghana

Alberta Academic Review ◽

10.29173/aar102 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 11

Author(s):

Dominic A. Alaazi ◽

Devidas Menon ◽

Tania Stafinski ◽

Gian Jhangri ◽

Joshua Evans ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Survey Data ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Life Assessment ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

World Health ◽

Slum Dwellers ◽

Sub Saharan

The world’s population is rapidly ageing. Global estimates for the next three decades indicate a two-fold increase in the population of older adults aged ≥60 years. Nearly 80% of this growth will occur in low and middle-income countries in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where population health is already under threat from poverty, degraded environments, and deficient healthcare systems. Although the world’s poorest region, sub-Saharan Africa, ironically, will witness the fastest growth in older populations, rising by 64% over the next 15 years. Indications are that the majority of this population will live in resource-poor settings, characterized by deficient housing and neighbourhood conditions. Yet, very little research has systematically examined the health and wellbeing of older adults in such settings. Drawing on the ecological theory of ageing, the present study explores the living conditions and quality of life of elderly slum dwellers in Ghana, a sub-Saharan African country with a growing population of older adults. Data collection was undertaken in two phases in two environmentally contrasting neighbourhoods in Accra, Ghana. In Phase 1, we carried out a cross-sectional survey of older adults in a slum community (n = 302) and a non-slum neighbourhood (n = 301), using the World Health Organization quality of life assessment tool (WHOQoL-BREF). The survey data were complemented in Phase 2 with qualitative interviews involving a sample of community dwelling older adults (N = 30), health service providers (N = 5), community leaders (N = 2), and policymakers (N = 5). Preliminary analysis of the survey data revealed statistically significant differences in the social and environment domains of quality of life, while the qualitative data identified multiple health barriers and facilitators in the two neighbourhoods. Insights from the research are expected to inform health and social interventions for older slum dwellers in Ghana.

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Refractive Error and or Visual Impairment and Their Impact on Quality of Life Among School-age Children in Sub-saharan Africa; A Protocol of a Systematic Review

10.21203/rs.3.rs-500252/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tshubelela Sello Simon Magakwe ◽

Zamadonda Nokuthula Queen Xulu-Kasaba ◽

Rekha Hansraj

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Visual Impairment ◽

Refractive Error ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Systemic Review ◽

Review Study ◽

Sub Saharan

Abstract BackgroundRefractive error (RE) is a leading cause of visual impairment (VI) in children, the most common cause of childhood handicaps, and the second leading cause of childhood blindness globally. Refractive error and/or VI limits the ability of a child to perform well at school, in most sporting activities which require good vision, and negatively affects the socio-economical security of an individual. These two conditions have also reported to impact quality of life (QoL). The epidemiological evidence about the prevalence and distribution of RE and VI, as well their impact on the QoL of school-going children in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), will assist policymakers and stakeholders involved in child eye care in channelling resources appropriately. The main objective of this scoping review study therefore is to map available evidence on RE and or VI and their impact on QoL of school-going children in SSA. Methods This systematic review study will follow the five steps outlined in a framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005). The literature search will be conducted using the following databases, EBSCOhost: CINAHL, Academic search complete, Health-Consumer and Health-Nursing, Google Scholar, Science direct and PubMed. The period of the literature will be from January 1998 to 31 December 2020, all suitable studies will be exported to a Mendeley library and in cases of outstanding articles the authors will be contacted directly. The title screening will be done by the principal investigator (PI), then the study will employ two independent reviewers which will have access to the Mendeley library to do abstract screening (AS) and a full article screening (FAS). Following FAS, data extraction will be done by PI. The quality index of all included studies will be determined using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT). The results will be reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Discussion The evidence of this scoping review will guide policy makers and all stakeholders in planning intervention strategies to address this global issue. Furthermore, the results of this review will be published in a peer reviewed journal and will be used to guide future research in this and related areas. Systemic review registration: Submitted (PROSPERO) 27/04/2021

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