scholarly journals Urban health nexus with COVID-19 preparedness and response in Africa: rapid scoping review of the early evidence.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Kaba Alhassan
Keyword(s):  
Urban Health ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Health Systems Strengthening ◽  
Economic Resilience ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Response Strategies ◽  
Early Evidence

Abstract Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) also called COVID-19 was first reported in the African continent on 14th February 2020, in Egypt. As at 24th August 2020, the continent reported a total of 1,189,526 cases; 27,798 deaths and 907,822 recoveries. Urban cities in African have suffered the brunt of COVID-19; meanwhile, response strategies by African countries have largely been condemned as “one-size-fit-all” approach.Objective: This paper synthesized and analyzed early evidence on the nexus between urban health and COVID-19 preparedness and response in Africa. Methods: Rapid scoping review of empirical and grey literature was done using data sources such as ScienceDirect, GoogleScholar, PubMed, HINARI and official websites of WHO and Africa CDC. Out of over 6,000 search output, 24 full articles, reviews and commentaries were finally synthesized analyzed qualitatively based on relevance and quality, guided by the PRISMA flow chart (2009).Results: Over 70% of the 24 articles reported on COVID-19 response strategies across Africa; 29% of the articles reported on preparedness towards COVID-19 while 41% reported on the nexus between urbanization and COVID-19; 37% of the publications were full text empirical studies while the remaining 63% were either commentaries, reviews or editorials. It was found that urban cities remain epicentres for COVID-19 in Africa. Even though some successes have been recorded in Africa in respect of the COVID-19 fight, the continent’s response strategies are largely a “one-size-fit all” approach. In effect, adoption of “Western elitist” mitigating measures for COVID-19 resulted in excesses and spillover effects on individuals, families and economies in Africa. Conclusion: Africa needs to increase commitment to health systems strengthening through context-specific interventions in addition to prioritization of pandemic preparedness over response. Likewise, improved economic resilience and proper urban planning will help African countries to respond better to future public health emergencies.

scholarly journals Urban health nexus with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) preparedness and response in Africa: Rapid scoping review of the early evidence

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 205031212199436
Author(s):  
Robert Kaba Alhassan ◽  
Jerry John Nutor ◽  
Aaron Asibi Abuosi ◽  
Agani Afaya ◽  
Solomon Salia Mohammed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Health ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Health Systems Strengthening ◽  
World Health ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Response Strategies ◽  
Early Evidence

Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 also called coronavirus disease 2019 was first reported in the African continent on 14 February 2020 in Egypt. As at 18 December 2020, the continent reported 2,449,754 confirmed cases, 57,817 deaths and 2,073,214 recoveries. Urban cities in Africa have particularly suffered the brunt of coronavirus disease 2019 coupled with criticisms that the response strategies have largely been a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. This article reviewed early evidence on urban health nexus with coronavirus disease 2019 preparedness and response in Africa. Methods: A rapid scoping review of empirical and grey literature was done using data sources such as ScienceDirect, GoogleScholar, PubMed, HINARI and official websites of World Health Organization and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. A total of 26 full articles (empirical studies, reviews and commentaries) were synthesised and analysed qualitatively based on predefined inclusion criteria on publication relevance and quality. Results: Over 70% of the 26 articles reported on coronavirus disease 2019 response strategies across Africa; 27% of the articles reported on preparedness towards coronavirus disease 2019, while 38% reported on urbanisation nexus with coronavirus disease 2019; 40% of the publications were full-text empirical studies, while the remaining 60% were either commentaries, reviews or editorials. It was found that urban cities remain epicentres of coronavirus disease 2019 in Africa. Even though some successes have been recorded in Africa regarding coronavirus disease 2019 fight, the continent’s response strategies were largely found to be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Consequently, adoption of ‘Western elitist’ mitigating measures for coronavirus disease 2019 containment resulted in excesses and spillover effects on individuals, families and economies in Africa. Conclusion: Africa needs to increase commitment to health systems strengthening through context-specific interventions and prioritisation of pandemic preparedness over response. Likewise, improved economic resilience and proper urban planning will help African countries to respond better to future public health emergencies, as coronavirus disease 2019 cases continue to surge on the continent.

scholarly journals Identifying approaches for synthesizing and summarizing information to support informed citizen deliberations in health policy: a scoping review

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G Wilson ◽  
Aditya Nidumolu ◽  
Inna Berditchevskaia ◽  
Francois-Pierre Gauvin ◽  
Julia Abelson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Policy Issue ◽  
Optimal Strategies ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
Stakeholder Perspectives ◽  
Literature Searches ◽  
Citizen Deliberation

Objective Public deliberations are an increasingly popular tool to engage citizens in the development of health policies and programmes. However, limited research has been conducted on how to best synthesize and summarize information on health policy issues for citizens. To begin to address this gap, our aim was to map the literature on the preparation of information to support informed citizen deliberations related to health policy issues. Methods We conducted a scoping review where two reviewers screened the results of electronic database searches, grey literature searches and hand searches of organizational websites to identify empirical studies, scholarly commentaries, and publicly available organizational documents focused on synthesizing and summarizing information to inform citizen deliberation about health policy issues. Two reviewers categorized each included document according to themes/topics of deliberation, purpose of deliberation and the form of deliberation, and developed a summary of the key findings related to synthesizing and summarizing information to support informed citizen deliberations. Results There was limited reporting about whether and how information was synthesized. Evidence was typically organized based on the source used (e.g. by comparing the views of stakeholders or experts) or according to the areas that policymakers need to consider when making decisions (e.g. benefits, harms, costs and stakeholder perspectives related to policy options). Information was presented primarily through written materials (e.g. briefs and brochures), audiovisual resources (e.g. videos or presentations from stakeholders), but some interactive presentation approaches were also identified (e.g. through interactive arts-based approaches). Conclusions The choice and framing of information to inform citizen deliberations about health policy can strongly influence their understanding of a policy issue, and has the potential to impact the discussions and recommendations that emerge from deliberations. Our review confirmed that there remains a dearth of literature describing methods of the preparation of information to inform citizen deliberations about health policy issues. This highlights the need for further exploration of optimal strategies for citizen-friendly approaches to synthesizing and summarizing information for deliberations.

Learning in action sports: A scoping review

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 263-283
Author(s):  
Eva Ellmer ◽  
Steven Rynne ◽  
Eimear Enright
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Action Sports ◽  
Academic Field ◽  
Research Questions

Action sports have increased in popularity, particularly over the past two decades. Research in the area has also proliferated, as multiple disciplinary perspectives and theoretical and conceptual frames have been applied to understanding and exploring a host of research questions concerning action sports culture, contexts and participants. However, despite this flurry of research activity, not much is known empirically about the learning of action sport participants, and few studies have focused specifically on learning in action sports. A scoping review was, therefore, conducted with the aim of synthesising the work that has been undertaken, and mapping future research agendas. Informed by Arksey and O’Malley’s six-stage framework, leading sports and education databases and Google Scholar were searched for empirical literature on learning in action sports published before July 2018. After the results were screened and relevant studies identified, data were extracted and analysed using a frequency and thematic analysis to form both a descriptive and thematic summary. A total of 78 empirical studies both from the peer-reviewed and grey literature were included in the scoping review. The frequency analysis concerned information on publication year, academic field, study design, study tools, sport and population. The thematic analysis led to the development of five main themes, addressing learning in social, physical, cultural, and cognitive/psychological contexts and via various forms of feedback. The majority of articles on learning in action sports were published from 2010 onward, suggesting a growing interest in the area. More theses/dissertations resulted in peer-reviewed publications; however, less than half of all reviewed journal articles were published in education/pedagogy journals. Theoretical and conceptual frameworks were rarely explicitly referenced and/or lacked clarity. There was consensus that learning in action sports is largely informal and self-regulated. With the increasing professionalisation of many action sports and their inclusion in international competition events and also in national curricula, an increase in more formalised learning is predicted. Finally, learning in action sports can be highly individualistic but only a few studies acknowledged this. A greater variety of research questions and methodologies, and more work across disciplinary boundaries will assist in the generation of new knowledge.

scholarly journals Knowledge, attitude, perception, and preventative practices towards COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0249853
Author(s):  
Ugochinyere Ijeoma Nwagbara ◽  
Emmanuella Chinonso Osual ◽  
Rumbidzai Chireshe ◽  
Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa ◽  
Balsam Qubais Saeed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Preventive Practices ◽  
Adequate Knowledge ◽  
Sub Saharan

Background Knowledge, attitudes, perception, and preventative practices regarding coronavirus- 2019 (COVID-19) are crucial in its prevention and control. Several studies have noted that the majority of people in sub-Saharan African are noncompliant with proposed health and safety measures recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and respective country health departments. In most sub-Saharan African countries, noncompliance is attributable to ignorance and misinformation, thereby raising questions about people’s knowledge, attitudes, perception, and practices towards COVID-19 in these settings. This situation is particularly of concern for governments and public health experts. Thus, this scoping review is aimed at mapping evidence on the knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and preventive practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods Systematic searches of relevant articles were performed using databases such as the EBSCOhost, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, the WHO library and grey literature. Arksey and O’Malley’s framework guided the study. The risk of bias for included primary studies was assessed using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT). NVIVO version 10 was used to analyse the data and a thematic content analysis was used to present the review’s narrative account. Results A total of 3037 eligible studies were identified after the database search. Only 28 studies met the inclusion criteria after full article screening and were included for data extraction. Studies included populations from the following SSA countries: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Sierra Leone. All the included studies showed evidence of knowledge related to COVID-19. Eleven studies showed that participants had a positive attitude towards COVID-19, and fifteen studies showed that participants had good practices towards COVID-19. Conclusions Most of the participants had adequate knowledge related to COVID-19. Despite adequate knowledge, the attitude was not always positive, thereby necessitating further education to convey the importance of forming a positive attitude and continuous preventive practice towards reducing contraction and transmission of COVID‐19.

scholarly journals Assessing the nature of asthma in African epidemiological studies: a scoping review protocol

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vuyelwa Ndlovu ◽  
Moses John Chimbari ◽  
Elopy Sibanda
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Premature Deaths ◽  
Science Framework ◽  
Associated Risk Factors

Abstract Background Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory conditions in the world and is increasing in prevalence, particularly in Africa and other low-income countries. The disproportionately high numbers of premature deaths and severe or uncontrolled cases in many African countries are indicative of their inability to cope with a costly disease like asthma. Progress has, however, been made in understanding the complex and heterogeneous nature of the disease. The objective of this study will be to summarise the epidemiological literature on the nature of asthma in African countries. Methods We registered a study protocol for a scoping review. The review was designed following the Arksey and O’Malley framework. We will search PubMed/MEDLINE, African Journals Online (AJOL) and relevant grey literature (e.g. Google Scholar, EBSCOhost) from January 1990 onwards. Only primary epidemiological studies of asthma (e.g. frequency, disease mechanisms, associated risk factors and comorbidities) written in English and conducted in Africa will be included. Two reviewers will independently screen all citations, full-text articles and abstract data. Potential conflicts will be resolved through discussion. Findings will be reported using narrative synthesis and tabulation of the summaries. Discussion This scoping review will capture the state of the current epidemiological literature on asthma in African countries. Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. We anticipate this review will identify gaps and make recommendations for future areas of study. Scoping review registration Open Science Framework http://osf.io/n2p87/

scholarly journals Investigating the resurgence of malaria prevalence in South Africa between 2015 and 2018: A scoping review

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gbenga J. Abiodun ◽  
Babatope Adebiyi ◽  
Rita O. Abiodun ◽  
Olanrewaju Oladimeji ◽  
Kelechi Oladimeji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Indoor Residual Spraying ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Malaria Prevalence ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
African Countries

Abstract Background Malaria remains a serious concern in most African countries, causing nearly one million deaths globally every year. The review aims to examine the extent and nature of the resurgence of malaria prevalence in South Africa.Method Using the Arksey and O'Malley framework, this scoping review included articles published between the year 2015 and 2018 on the resurgence of malaria prevalence in South Africa. Articles were searched from October 2018 to January 2019 using these electronic databases: CINAHL, Pubmed, Science Direct and SCOPUS. Grey literature from Google Scholar was also hand searched. Key search terms and subject headings such as climate variables; climate changes; climatic factors; malaria resurgence; malaria reoccurrence, and malaria increase over epidemic regions in South Africa were used to identify relevant articles. Articles for selection and characterization were performed by three independent reviewers. Data collected were synthesized qualitatively.Results A total number of 748 studies were identified. Among these, 24 studies met the inclusion criteria. The results were grouped by factors (four main themes) that influenced the malaria resurgence: Climatic, Epidemiological, Socio-economic, and Environmental factors. Climatic factors were found to be the major factor responsible for the resurgence of malaria, as more than 55% of the selected articles were climate focused. This was followed by epidemiological, socio-economic and environmental factors, in that order. Grey literature from Google Scholar yielded no results.Conclusion This study shows that malaria transmission in South Africa is more associated with climate. Climate-based malaria models could be used as early warning systems of malaria over the epidemic regions in South Africa. Since epidemiological factors also play significant roles in the transmission, regular and unrelaxed use of indoor residual spraying (IRS) should be encouraged in these regions. While some studies have indicated that vectors have developed resistance to insecticides, continuous research on developing new insecticides that could alter the resistance are ongoing. Individuals should also be educated on the importance and the usefulness of these deliveries. Furthermore, all efforts to eradicate malaria in South Africa must also target the epidemic neighbouring countries.

scholarly journals Investigating the Resurgence of Malaria Prevalence in South Africa Between 2015 and 2018: A Scoping Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-125
Author(s):  
Gbenga J. Abiodun ◽  
Babatope. O. Adebiyi ◽  
Rita O. Abiodun ◽  
Olanrewaju Oladimeji ◽  
Kelechi E. Oladimeji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Malaria Transmission ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Indoor Residual Spraying ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
African Countries

Background: Malaria remains a serious concern in most African countries, causing nearly one million deaths globally every year. This review aims to examine the extent and nature of the resurgence of malaria transmission in South Africa. Methods: Using the Arksey and O'Malley framework, this scoping review includes articles published between the years 2015 and 2018 on the resurgence of malaria occurrence in South Africa. Articles were searched between October 2018 to January 2019 using the following electronic databases: CINAHL, Pubmed, Science Direct and SCOPUS. Grey literature from Google Scholar was also hand searched. Key search terms and subject headings such as climate variables, climate changes, climatic factors, malaria resurgence, malaria reoccurrence and malaria increase over epidemic regions in South Africa were used to identify relevant articles. Three independent reviewers performed the selection and characterization of articles, and the data collected were synthesized qualitatively. Results: A total number of 534 studies were identified. Among these, 24 studies met the inclusion criteria. The results were grouped by factors (four main themes) that influenced the malaria resurgence: Climatic, Epidemiological, Socio-economic, and Environmental factors. Climatic factors were found to be the major factor responsible for the resurgence of malaria, as more than 55% of the selected articles were climate-focused. This was followed by epidemiological, socio-economic and environmental factors, in that order. Grey literature from Google Scholar yielded no results. Conclusion: This study shows that malaria transmission in South Africa is more associated with climate. Climate-based malaria models could be used as early warning systems for malaria over the epidemic regions in South Africa. Since epidemiological factors also play significant roles in malaria transmission, regular and unrelaxed use of Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) should be encouraged in these regions. Individuals should also be educated on the importance and the usefulness of these deliveries. While some studies have indicated that the vectors have developed resistance to insecticides, continuous research on developing new insecticides that could alter the resistance are encouraged. Furthermore, all efforts to eradicate malaria in South Africa must also target malaria-endemic neighbouring countries.

scholarly journals What is a predatory journal? A scoping review

F1000Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 1001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly D. Cobey ◽  
Manoj M Lalu ◽  
Becky Skidmore ◽  
Nadera Ahmadzai ◽  
Agnes Grudniewicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
English Language ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Predatory Journals ◽  
Article Processing Charges ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Predatory Journal ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics

Background: There is no standardized definition of what a predatory journal is, nor have the characteristics of these journals been delineated or agreed upon. In order to study the phenomenon precisely a definition of predatory journals is needed. The objective of this scoping review is to summarize the literature on predatory journals, describe its epidemiological characteristics, and to extract empirical descriptions of potential characteristics of predatory journals. Methods: We searched five bibliographic databases: Ovid MEDLINE, Embase Classic + Embase, ERIC, and PsycINFO, and Web of Science on January 2nd, 2018. A related grey literature search was conducted March 27th, 2018. Eligible studies were those published in English after 2012 that discuss predatory journals. Titles and abstracts of records obtained were screened. We extracted epidemiological characteristics from all search records discussing predatory journals. Subsequently, we extracted statements from the empirical studies describing empirically derived characteristics of predatory journals. These characteristics were then categorized and thematically grouped.   Results: 920 records were obtained from the search. 344 of these records met our inclusion criteria. The majority of these records took the form of commentaries, viewpoints, letters, or editorials (78.44%), and just 38 records were empirical studies that reported empirically derived characteristics of predatory journals. We extracted 109 unique characteristics from these 38 studies, which we subsequently thematically grouped into six categories: journal operations, article, editorial and peer review, communication, article processing charges, and dissemination, indexing and archiving, and five descriptors.    Conclusions: This work identified a corpus of potential characteristics of predatory journals. Limitations of the work include our restriction to English language articles, and the fact that the methodological quality of articles included in our extraction was not assessed. These results will be provided to attendees at a stakeholder meeting seeking to develop a standardized definition for what constitutes a predatory journal.

scholarly journals Rehabilitation following flexor tendon injury to the hand in African countries: a study protocol for a scoping review

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e045260
Author(s):  
Martin Marume ◽  
Susan De Klerk ◽  
Lee-Ann Jacobs-Nzuzi Khuabi
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
Flexor Tendon ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Tendon Injury ◽  
Tendon Injuries ◽  
High Income ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

Quality of life is enhanced by engagement in meaningful activities and participation using our hands. In African countries, people rely predominantly on the use of their hands to engage in economic productive activities, including agricultural, fishing, mining and construction, that are largely performed by machines in high-income contexts. Anecdotal evidence suggests a high incidence of flexor tendon injuries that are managed using protocols that were adopted from high-income countries and implemented without considering contextual differences. African therapists use discretion in selecting protocols thereby presenting inconsistency in tendon management. This result in challenges with ascertaining the most effective protocol, factors that influence protocols and the extent of evidence about flexor tendon rehabilitation in Africa. Therefore, this scoping review aims to provide evidence currently available on the rehabilitation of flexor tendons in African countries. This will synthesise the advantages and disadvantages of the current protocols and make proposals that are contextually relevant and cost-effective for rehabilitation of tendon injuries.Methods and analysisThe research will follow the scoping review methodological framework developed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005). The search strategy was developed and will be used to retrieve articles from eight databases. Further literature will be searched in the bibliography of the identified eligible articles. Grey literature will be searched in scientifically reliable websites, organisations and other sources. Articles will be reviewed by two independent researchers and opinion will be sought from a third reviewer when disagreement prevails on the inclusion quality of an article. All relevant articles that meet the criteria will be analysed using Weft QDA.Ethics and disseminationThe scoping review paper will be discussed with local therapists. Thereafter, findings will be published in the year 2021 and sent to rehabilitation associations in respective African countries.

scholarly journals Implementing Anti-Racism Interventions in Healthcare Settings: A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 2993
Author(s):  
Nadha Hassen ◽  
Aisha Lofters ◽  
Sinit Michael ◽  
Amita Mall ◽  
Andrew D. Pinto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Organizational Interventions ◽  
Shared Language ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
And Training

Racism towards Black, Indigenous and people of colour continues to exist in the healthcare system. This leads to profound harm for people who use and work within these settings. This is a scoping review to identify anti-racism interventions in outpatient healthcare settings. Searching the peer-reviewed and grey literature, articles were screened for inclusion by at least two independent reviewers. Synthesizing the socio-ecological levels of interventions with inductively identifying themes, a conceptual model for implementing anti-racism interventions in healthcare settings is presented. In total, 37 peer-reviewed articles were included in the review, with 12 empirical studies and 25 theoretical or conceptual papers. Six grey literature documents were also included. Healthcare institutions need to incorporate an explicit, shared language of anti-racism. Anti-racism action should incorporate leadership buy-in and commitment with dedicated resources, support and funding; a multi-level approach beginning with policy and organizational interventions; transparent accountability mechanisms for sustainable change; long-term meaningful partnerships with Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (i.e., racialized communities); and ongoing, mandatory, tailored staff education and training. Decision-makers and staff in healthcare settings have a responsibility to take anti-racism action and may improve the success and sustainability of their efforts by incorporating the foundational principles and strategies identified in this paper.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document