Scoping review of food safety at transport stations in Africa

ObjectiveThe WHO has declared food safety as a public health concern. Transport hubs such as taxi ranks, bus stations and other transport exchange sites are major food trading/purchasing sites, particularly in Africa. Research evidence is needed to improve food safety policies and ensure consumption of safe food, owing to the increasing burden of foodborne diseases, particularly in the WHO Africa Region. We systematically mapped and described research evidence on food safety at transport stations in Africa.DesignA scoping review guided by the Arksey and O’Malley framework.Data sourcesWe searched for original research articles in PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost (Academic search complete, CINAHL with Full-text and Health Source), SCOPUS, and Google Scholar from their inception to 25 October 2020.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesWe included studies that focused on food safety, involved transport stations, involved African countries and were published in English.Data extraction and synthesisData extraction was performed by two reviewers using a piloted-tested form. Thematic analysis was used to organise the data into themes and subthemes, and a narrative summary of the findings is presented.ResultsOf the total 23 852 articles obtained from the database searches, 16 studies published in 6 countries met the inclusion criteria. These 16 studies were published between 1997 and 2019, with the most (5) in 2014. Of the 16 studies, 43.8% (7) were conducted in South Africa, 3 studies in Ghana, 2 in Ethiopia and 1 study each in Nigeria, Kenya, Lesotho and Zambia. Most (44.4%) of the included studies focused on microbial safety of food; few studies (22.2%) focused on hygienic practices, and one study investigated the perspective of consumers or buyers. Microbes detected in the foods samples were Salmonella spp, Escherichia coli, Shigella spp, Bacillus sp, Staphylococcus aureus, which resulted mainly from poor hygiene practices.ConclusionsThere is limited research that focused on food safety at transport stations in Africa, especially on aspects such as hygiene practices, food storage and occupational health and food safety. Therefore, we recommend more research in these areas, using various primary study designs, to inform and improve food safety policies and practices for transport stations in African countries alongside improving access to clean water/handwashing facilities, and undertaking structural changes to facilitate behaviours and monitoring for unintended consequences such as livelihoods of vulnerable populations.

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Mapping evidence of food safety at transport stations in Africa: a scoping review protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035879 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. e035879

Author(s):

Busisiwe Purity Ncama ◽

Desmond Kuupiel ◽

Sinegugu E Duma ◽

Gugu Mchunu ◽

Phindile Guga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Safety ◽

Peer Review ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Full Text ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Reference List ◽

Study Results ◽

Scoping Reviews

IntroductionIn Africa, travels, urbanisation and changing consumer habits are increasing the number of people buying and eating food prepared/sold at public spaces including transport stations, particularly in the urban and periurban areas. Although food trading in such public spaces serves as a source of livelihood for many people, unsafe food can have a negative impact on health. We, therefore, aim to systematically explore and examine the literature, and describe the evidence on food safety (food handling, storage, preparation and sale, packaging of food when sold, hygiene of sale venue and quality (nutrition) of food sold/purchased/eaten) at transport stations to inform policy, as well as identify research gaps for future studies in Africa.Methods and analysisWe will employ the Arksey & O’Malley framework, Levac et al recommendations and the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines to guide this study. We will conduct a comprehensive search in PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Google Scholar and EBSCOhost (Academic search complete, CINAHL with Full-text and Health Source) from inception to December 2019 for relevant peer-review articles using a combination of keywords/search terms with no limitations. We will also search for relevant literature from the reference list of all included articles. Two investigators will independently screen the articles in parallel at the abstract and full-text phases using the eligibility criteria as a guide. Data extraction will be done using a piloted data extraction form designed in a Microsoft Word tabular format. Afterward, the extracted data will be collated into themes and subthemes, summarised, and the results reported using a narrative approach. We will the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses: Extension for scoping reviews checklist to report this study results.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval is not required. All sources of data will be adequately cited and added to the reference list. We will present the final scoping review results at the appropriate workshops, meetings, conferences, as well as submit for peer-review and publication in a scientific journal.

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Socio-economic drivers of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Africa: A Scoping Review

10.21203/rs.3.rs-22668/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lesley-Ann Lynnath Cannon ◽

Kelechi Elizabeth Oladimeji ◽

Daniel Ter Goon

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Financial Burden ◽

Health Concern ◽

High Morbidity ◽

Economic Factors ◽

Drug Resistant ◽

African Countries ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Socio Economic Factors

Abstract Background: Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) remains a public health concern due to the high morbidity and mortality rates from the disease. The DR-TB is a multifaceted illness with expensive treatment regimens, toxic medications and most often the long duration of treatment constitutes a substantial financial burden on both infected patients and the health system. Despite significant research advances in the diagnosis and treatment, there is a paucity of synthesized evidence on how socio-economic factors are associated with DR-TB. This review aims to address this gap by synthesizing available evidence and data on the common socio-economic drivers of DR-TB infection in Africa.Methods: A systematic search was conducted on PUBMED and Google Scholar databases from January 2011 to January 2020 using Joanna Briggs Institute’s scoping review approach. An updated search was conducted on 21 September 2020. The eligibility criteria only included systematic reviews and studies with quantitative research methods (cross-sectional, case-control, cohort, and randomized-control trials). Studies conducted in Africa and focusing on socio-economic factors influencing DR-TB burden in African countries were also considered. Data was extracted from all the studies that met the eligibility criteria based on the study’s objectives.Results: Out of the 154 articles that were retrieved for review, 20 abstracts of these articles met all the eligibility criteria. Of the 20 articles, 17 quantitative and 3 reviews. 2 additional articles were found eligible, following the updated search. The following themes were identified as major findings: Social and economic drivers associated with DR-TB. Substance abuse of which, stigma and discrimination were the prominent social drivers. Economic drivers included poverty, financial constraints because of job loss, loss of productive time during hospital admission and treatment costs.Conclusion: This review has highlighted which socio-economic factors contribute to DR- TB This is relevant to assist DR-TB management program and TB stakeholders in different settings to address identified socio-economic gaps and to reduce its negative impact on the programmatic management of DR TB. Therefore, redirecting strategies with more focus on socio-economic empowerment of DR-TB patients could be one of the innovative solutions to reduce the spread and eliminate DR-TB in Africa.

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Determinants of Adverse Drug Reactions Due to Tuberculosis Therapy in African Countries: a Systematic Scoping Review Protocol

10.21203/rs.3.rs-678037/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tasmiya Raúfo Irá ◽

Neusa Torres Tovela ◽

Elisa López Varela ◽

Pravina Devi Laljeeth ◽

Richard Beharilal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adverse Drug Reactions ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Clinical Management ◽

World Health ◽

Health Concern ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Drug Reactions ◽

African Countries ◽

Tuberculosis Therapy ◽

Research Studies

Abstract Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) remain a significant public health concern worldwide mainly in developing countries. Adverse drug reactions due to multi-drugs regimen for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) have negative implications such as toxicity, leading to poor compliance and interruption of medication before completion. Understanding the profile of ADRs is critical to establishing specific strategies for early detection, prevention and clinical management. The present study aims to map the existing literature on the determinants of adverse drug reactions due tuberculosis therapy in African countries. Methods and analysis: The scoping review will be guided by Arksey and O’Malley framework as well as recommendations by Levac et al., and Colquhoun et al. The search strategy will include searching electronic databases such as Cochrane library, PubMed, EBSCOhost (including Medline), ProQuest, Google scholar; CINAHL with Full Text and other sources such as World Health Organization (WHO) and governmental websites. Peer-reviewed literature and grey literature of primary and secondary studies with different study designs which addresses the main question will be included. Studies published within the period of 2000 to 2020 are eligible. The selection process will involve screening titles, abstracts, full texts. A standardized data charting form will be created in google forms to extract relevant information from the included studies. The NVIVO software version 12 will be used for thematic analysis of the studies to summarize the review findings. The quality of the included studies will be assessed using Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018 and Authority Accuracy Coverage Objectivity Date Significance (AACODS) checklist (for grey literatures).Discussion: The study anticipates finding and mapping relevant research studies in African context on determinants of adverse drug reactions due to tuberculosis therapy. The synthesis of this evidence base will help to identify research gaps and will serve as guidance for future research studies on strengthening of the pharmacovigilance system of ADRs and its clinical management in Africa. The study findings will be disseminated through the traditional academic platforms, such as peer-reviewed publications and presentations at relevant local and international conferences, symposiums, and seminars.Systematic review registration: Prospero Registration Number: CRD42020203617.

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Mapping evidence of individuals’ sustainable consumption behaviour and energy or transport use in Africa: A scoping review

International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478) ◽

10.20525/ijrbs.v10i6.1368 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 369-382

Author(s):

Peter Ansu Mensah ◽

Monica Ansu Mensah

Keyword(s):

Energy Consumption ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Energy Use ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Sustainable Energy ◽

Sustainable Consumption ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

African Countries ◽

Consumption Behaviour

The study aims to systematically map and describe the evidence on individual’s sustainable consumption behaviour and energy and transport use in Africa. The paper employed Arskey and O’Malley’s’ framework of 2005 as a guide to conduct a scoping review. Using keywords separated by Boolean terms (AND/OR) with all limiters removed, relevant published studies in Science Direct, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar were searched. Full-text screening guided by the inclusion criteria was independently conducted and data extraction was done using a piloted form to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data. The results revealed that out of 176 studies, six met this study’s inclusion criteria and were included for data extraction. Among the six included studies, two were multi-country studies involving African countries, and study each was conducted in Ghana, Mauritius, South Africa, and Egypt. Of the included studies, five were on sustainable energy consumption domain, one on energy use and recycling behaviour, and the factors influencing sustainable energy consumption; price, income, urbanization, intention, attitudes, subjective norms and personal values. However, we found no evidence on individual’s sustainable consumption behaviour and transport use. Concluding, the results suggest that limited studies on sustainable consumption behaviour of energy and transport use are found in Africa. Therefore, further studies are needed to protect the gains made so far on environmental sustainability as well as to encourage and improve the individual’s sustainable consumption practices.

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Overdiagnosis across medical disciplines: a scoping review

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018448 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (12) ◽

pp. e018448 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Kevin Jenniskens ◽

Joris A H de Groot ◽

Johannes B Reitsma ◽

Karel G M Moons ◽

Lotty Hooft ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Diagnostic Tests ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Primary Study ◽

English Studies ◽

Extensive Discussion ◽

Article Type ◽

Study Selection ◽

Definition Of ◽

Medical Disciplines

ObjectiveTo provide insight into how and in what clinical fields overdiagnosis is studied and give directions for further applied and methodological research.DesignScoping review.Data sourcesMedline up to August 2017.Study selectionAll English studies on humans, in which overdiagnosis was discussed as a dominant theme.Data extractionStudies were assessed on clinical field, study aim (ie, methodological or non-methodological), article type (eg, primary study, review), the type and role of diagnostic test(s) studied and the context in which these studies discussed overdiagnosis.ResultsFrom 4896 studies, 1851 were included for analysis. Half of all studies on overdiagnosis were performed in the field of oncology (50%). Other prevalent clinical fields included mental disorders, infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases accounting for 9%, 8% and 6% of studies, respectively. Overdiagnosis was addressed from a methodological perspective in 20% of studies. Primary studies were the most common article type (58%). The type of diagnostic tests most commonly studied were imaging tests (32%), although these were predominantly seen in oncology and cardiovascular disease (84%). Diagnostic tests were studied in a screening setting in 43% of all studies, but as high as 75% of all oncological studies. The context in which studies addressed overdiagnosis related most frequently to its estimation, accounting for 53%. Methodology on overdiagnosis estimation and definition provided a source for extensive discussion. Other contexts of discussion included definition of disease, overdiagnosis communication, trends in increasing disease prevalence, drivers and consequences of overdiagnosis, incidental findings and genomics.ConclusionsOverdiagnosis is discussed across virtually all clinical fields and in different contexts. The variability in characteristics between studies and lack of consensus on overdiagnosis definition indicate the need for a uniform typology to improve coherence and comparability of studies on overdiagnosis.

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Socio-economic drivers of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Africa: A Scoping Review

10.21203/rs.3.rs-22668/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lesley-Ann Lynnath Cannon ◽

Kelechi Elizabeth Oladimeji ◽

Daniel Ter Goon

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Financial Burden ◽

Health Concern ◽

High Morbidity ◽

Economic Factors ◽

Drug Resistant ◽

African Countries ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Socio Economic Factors

Abstract Background Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) remains a public health concern due to the high morbidity and mortality rates from the disease. The DR-TB is a multifaceted illness with expensive treatment regimens, toxic medications and most often the long duration of treatment constitutes a substantial financial burden on both infected patients and the health system. Despite significant research advances so far in the diagnosis and treatment, there is a paucity of synthesized evidence on how socio-economic factors are associated with DR-TB. This review aims to address this gap by synthesizing available evidence and data on the main socio-economic drivers of DR-TB infection in Africa. Methods We conducted a systematic search on PUBMED and Google Scholar databases from January 2011 to March 2020 using Joanna Briggs Institute’s scoping review approach. Our eligibility criteria only included systematic reviews and studies conducted with quantitative research methods (cross-sectional, case-control, cohort and randomized-control trials) in this review. We also considered studies conducted in Africa and focused on socio-economic factors influencing DR-TB burden in African countries. Data was extracted from all the studies that met the eligibility criteria based on the study’s objectives. Results Out of the 154 articles that were retrieved for review, 20 abstracts of these articles met all the eligibility criteria and were fully reviewed. Of the 20 articles, one was a mixed-method study, 16 quantitative and 3 reviews. The following themes were identified as major findings: Social and economic drivers associated with DR-TB. Substance abuse of which, stigma and discrimination were the prominent social drivers. Economic drivers included poverty, financial constraints because of job loss, loss of productive time during hospital admission and treatment costs. Conclusion Our findings provide insights on the socio-economic drivers of DR-TB burden. This is relevant to assist DR-TB management program and TB stakeholders in different settings to address identified socio-economic gaps and to reduce its negative impact on the programmatic management of DR TB. Therefore, redirecting strategies with more focus on socio-economic empowerment of DR-TB patients could be one of the innovative solutions to reduce the spread and eliminate DR-TB in Africa.

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Evidence of TB Services at Primary Healthcare Level during COVID-19: A Scoping Review

Diagnostics ◽

10.3390/diagnostics11122221 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 2221

Author(s):

Thobeka Dlangalala ◽

Alfred Musekiwa ◽

Alecia Brits ◽

Kuhlula Maluleke ◽

Ziningi Nobuhle Jaya ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Primary Healthcare ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Health Concern ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Tb Treatment ◽

Ovid Medline ◽

Provider Experiences ◽

Novel Coronavirus

Tuberculosis (TB) is still a major public health concern, despite the availability of preventative and curative therapies. Significant progress has been made in the past decade towards its control. However, the emergence of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disrupted numerous essential health services, including those for TB. This scoping review maps the available evidence on TB services at the primary healthcare (PHC) level during the COVID-19 period. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Medline OVID, Medline EBSCO, and Scopus. A total of 820 articles were retrieved from the databases and 21 met the eligibility criteria and were used for data extraction. The emerging themes were the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB services, patient and provider experiences, recommendations for TB services during the COVID-19 period, and the implementation of the recommendations. The review found that the mitigation strategies, as well as fear and stigma experienced at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic may have led to TB cases potentially going undetected, which may threaten TB treatment outcomes. Therefore, efforts must be directed at finding these missing cases and ensuring that PHC facilities are equipped to adequately diagnose and treat them.

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Socio-economic drivers of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Africa: a scoping review

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10267-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lesley-Ann Lynnath Cannon ◽

Kelechi Elizabeth Oladimeji ◽

Daniel Ter Goon

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Financial Burden ◽

Health Concern ◽

High Morbidity ◽

Economic Factors ◽

Drug Resistant ◽

African Countries ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Socio Economic Factors

Abstract Background Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) remains a public health concern due to the high morbidity and mortality rates from the disease. The DR-TB is a multifaceted illness with expensive treatment regimens, toxic medications and most often the long duration of treatment constitutes a substantial financial burden on both infected patients and the health system. Despite significant research advances in the diagnosis and treatment, there is a paucity of synthesized evidence on how socio-economic factors are associated with DR-TB. This review aims to address this gap by synthesizing available evidence and data on the common socio-economic drivers of DR-TB infection in Africa. Methods A systematic search was conducted on PUBMED and Google Scholar databases from January 2011 to January 2020 using Joanna Briggs Institute’s scoping review approach. An updated search was conducted on 21 September 2020. The eligibility criteria only included systematic reviews and studies with quantitative research methods (cross-sectional, case-control, cohort, and randomized-control trials). Studies conducted in Africa and focusing on socio-economic factors influencing DR-TB burden in African countries were also considered. Data was extracted from all the studies that met the eligibility criteria based on the study’s objectives. Results Out of the 154 articles that were retrieved for review, 20 abstracts of these articles met all the eligibility criteria. Of the 20 articles, 17 quantitative and 3 reviews. Two additional articles were found eligible, following the updated search. The following themes were identified as major findings: Social and economic drivers associated with DR-TB. Substance abuse of which, stigma and discrimination were the prominent social drivers. Economic drivers included poverty, financial constraints because of job loss, loss of productive time during hospital admission and treatment costs. Conclusion This review has highlighted which socio-economic factors contribute to DR- TB This is relevant to assist DR-TB management program and TB stakeholders in different settings to address identified socio-economic gaps and to reduce its negative impact on the programmatic management of DR TB. Therefore, redirecting strategies with more focus on socio-economic empowerment of DR-TB patients could be one of the innovative solutions to reduce the spread and eliminate DR-TB in Africa.

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Socio-economic drivers of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Africa: A Scoping Review

10.21203/rs.3.rs-22668/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lesley-Ann Lynnath Cannon ◽

Kelechi Elizabeth Oladimeji ◽

Daniel Ter Goon

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Financial Burden ◽

Health Concern ◽

High Morbidity ◽

Economic Factors ◽

Drug Resistant ◽

African Countries ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Socio Economic Factors

Abstract Background Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) remains a public health concern due to the high morbidity and mortality rates from the disease. The DR-TB is a multifaceted illness with expensive treatment regimens, toxic medications and most often the long duration of treatment constitutes a substantial financial burden on both infected patients and the health system. Despite significant research advances in the diagnosis and treatment, there is a paucity of synthesized evidence on how socio-economic factors are associated with DR-TB. This review aims to address this gap by synthesizing available evidence and data on the common socio-economic drivers of DR-TB infection in Africa.MethodsA systematic search was conducted on PUBMED and Google Scholar databases from January 2011 to January 2020 using Joanna Briggs Institute’s scoping review approach. An updated search was conducted on 21 September 2020. The eligibility criteria only included systematic reviews and studies with quantitative research methods (cross-sectional, case-control, cohort and randomized-control trials). Studies conducted in Africa and focusing on socio-economic factors influencing DR-TB burden in African countries were also considered. Data was extracted from all the studies that met the eligibility criteria based on the study’s objectives. ResultsOut of the 154 articles that were retrieved for review, 20 abstracts of these articles met all the eligibility criteria. Of the 20 articles, 17 quantitative and 3 reviews. 2 additional articles were found eligible, following the updated search. The following themes were identified as major findings: Social and economic drivers associated with DR-TB. Substance abuse of which, stigma and discrimination were the prominent social drivers. Economic drivers included poverty, financial constraints because of job loss, loss of productive time during hospital admission and treatment costs. ConclusionThis review has highlighted which socio-economic factors contribute to DR- TB This is relevant to assist DR-TB management program and TB stakeholders in different settings to address identified socio-economic gaps and to reduce its negative impact on the programmatic management of DR TB. Therefore, redirecting strategies with more focus on socio-economic empowerment of DR-TB patients could be one of the innovative solutions to reduce the spread and eliminate DR-TB in Africa.

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Artificial Intelligence for Skin Cancer Detection: A Scoping Review (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.22934 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Abdulrahman Takiddin ◽

Jens Schneider ◽

Yin Yang ◽

Alaa Abd-Alrazaq ◽

Mowafa Househ

Keyword(s):

Artificial Intelligence ◽

Skin Cancer ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Performance Metrics ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Evaluation Metrics ◽

Cancer Type ◽

Computer Algorithms ◽

Scoping Reviews

BACKGROUND Skin cancer is the most common cancer type affecting humans. Traditional skin cancer diagnosis methods are costly, require a professional physician, and take time. Hence, to aid in diagnosing skin cancer, Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are being used, including shallow and deep machine learning-based techniques that are trained to detect and classify skin cancer using computer algorithms and deep neural networks. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to identify and group the different types of AI-based technologies used to detect and classify skin cancer. The study also examines the reliability of the selected papers by studying the correlation between the dataset size and number of diagnostic classes with the performance metrics used to evaluate the models. METHODS We conducted a systematic search for articles using IEEE Xplore, ACM DL, and Ovid MEDLINE databases following the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. The study included in this scoping review had to fulfill several selection criteria; to be specifically about skin cancer, detecting or classifying skin cancer, and using AI technologies. Study selection and data extraction were conducted by two reviewers independently. Extracted data were synthesized narratively, where studies were grouped based on the diagnostic AI techniques and their evaluation metrics. RESULTS We retrieved 906 papers from the 3 databases, but 53 studies were eligible for this review. While shallow techniques were used in 14 studies, deep techniques were utilized in 39 studies. The studies used accuracy (n=43/53), the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (n=5/53), sensitivity (n=3/53), and F1-score (n=2/53) to assess the proposed models. Studies that use smaller datasets and fewer diagnostic classes tend to have higher reported accuracy scores. CONCLUSIONS The adaptation of AI in the medical field facilitates the diagnosis process of skin cancer. However, the reliability of most AI tools is questionable since small datasets or low numbers of diagnostic classes are used. In addition, a direct comparison between methods is hindered by a varied use of different evaluation metrics and image types.

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