Community gardening, community farming and other local community-based gardening interventions to prevent overweight and obesity in high-income and middle-income countries: protocol for a systematic review

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the potential impact of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes on overweight and obesity prevalence in countries of different income classifications. Design: Systematic review following PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO number CRD42020161612). Five databases (Cochrane Library, Embase, LILACS (via Virtual Health Library) and MEDLINE (via PubMed), and Web of Science were searched, from January 2009 up to December 2019. Articles that reported changes in purchases, sales, intake, body weight, BMI, overweight and/or obesity prevalence due to a tax on, or price change in SSBs were included. Setting: Studies conducted in countries of different income classifications. Participants: The search yielded 8,349 articles of which twenty-one met inclusion criteria. Results: Among the 16 studies selected, only 2 did not show that consumption, sales and purchase decreased as the price of SSBs increased. In 8 of the 13 studies selected, a positive effect of an SSB tax on decreasing overweight and obesity prevalence was expected. It is estimated that a 20% taxation on SSBs would result in a greater decrease in the prevalence of overweight and obesity compared to a 10% rate. Studies with no significant effect of taxing on sales, purchases, consumption and prevalence of obesity were from high-income countries, while significant effects of taxing on reducing purchase, consumption and/or obesity prevalence were found in studies from upper-middle and middle-income countries. Conclusion: A high SSB tax might be an effective fiscal policy to decrease purchase and consumption of SSBs and reduce overweight/obesity prevalence, especially if the tax were specific for beverage volume.

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Community-based interventions for preventing COVID-19 transmission in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review

10.21203/rs.3.rs-98441/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Master R.O. Chisale ◽

Sheena Ramazanu ◽

Joseph Tsung-Shu Wu ◽

Frank W. Sinyiza ◽

Thokozani Bvumbwe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

World Health ◽

Flow Diagram ◽

Main Body ◽

Community Based Interventions ◽

Community Based ◽

Middle Income ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Low And Middle Income

Abstract Background World Health Organisation (WHO) has approved and recommended several public health measures to halt the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The implementation of recommended interventions vary between higher income and Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The economical constraints within LMICs posed challenges in accessing resources for COVID-19 prevention. The study aimed to identify the workable community-based interventions being utilised in LMICs.Main body We applied systematic review approach for this study. Included articles were searched in eight online databases. The analysis was guided by the acceptable of best practice developed by the PROSPERO and COCHRANE for systematic search and selection of articles using pre-defined search terms. Furthermore, a PRISMA flow diagram was used to show the number of articles retrieved, retained, excluded with rationales given for every action. Studies conducted on community-based intervention for preventing COVID-19 and levels of knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) on community-based intervention for preventing COVID-19 regardless of the design were included. A mixed method appraisal tool (MMAT) was used to appraise studies.Six studies from LMICs were included for detail analysis after the systematic review screening process from 10,100 articles. The quality assessment using MMAT tool appraised these articles were all in highest quality. Among the six articles, 10 community-based interventions were implemented in LMICs. The three key workable and implemented interventions are: use of masks, social distance and hand wash. The review identified varying levels of KAP between LMICs and social-demographical factors affecting KAP in these settings.Conclusion This systematic review has identified the community-based interventions implemented in LMICs to prevent COVID-19 during the pandemic and key factors affecting the level of KAP among the population. This study re-affirms the importance of effective and suitable implementation of the identified interventions. More studies need to be conducted in LMICs to establish the effectiveness and adoption of the implemented and recommended interventions.

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