A Systematic Review Protocol of Opportunities for Noncommunicable Disease Prevention via Public Space Initiatives in African Cities

Abstract

Public spaces have the potential to produce equitable improvements in population health. This mixed-methods systematic review aims to understand the components of, determinants, risks, and outcomes associated with public space initiatives in African cities. This study will include quantitative and qualitative study designs that describe public space initiatives in African cities with implications for promoting health and wellbeing, particularly through the prevention of noncommunicable diseases. Only studies published after 1990 and that contain primary or secondary data will be included in the review. Literature search strategies will be developed with a medical librarian. We will search PubMed, using both text words and medical subject headings. We will adapt this search to Scopus, Global Health, and Web of Science. This systematic review will adopt a mixed methods analytical approach. Mixing will occur in extracting both qualitative and quantitative findings; in synthesizing findings; and in the analysis where we will integrate the qualitative and quantitative strands. The learnings from this study will contribute to advancing knowledge on noncommunicable disease prevention through public space initiatives in African cities.

Multisectoral interventions for urban health in Africa: a mixed-methods systematic review

“…This mixed-methods systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines [ 15 ] (Supplementary file 0: PRISMA Checklist), and the protocol was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020189285) [ 16 ]. The search was conducted between September and December 2019.…”

A Systematic Review Protocol for the Effectiveness of Psycho-Educational Intervention Programmes in Addressing the Psychological Risk Factors Associated with Non-Communicable Diseases among Adolescents

“…A systematic and comprehensive electronic database search will be performed using the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), the Educational Resource Information Centre (ERIC), PubMed, SCOPUS, Science Direct and Cochrane Library, as well as the grey literature for the thesis repository, as these are a combination of human-curated databases and search engines on the internet. These databases were chosen considering the multidisciplinary and global nature of the review under investigation, with the goal of covering the literature in the public health and social science domains [44].…”

Assessment of the Temporal and Seasonal Variabilities in Air Pollution and Implications for Physical Activity in Lagos and Yaoundé

“…For example, physical activity is actively encouraged as a healthy behaviour to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCD) like heart disease and diabetes, the burden of which is rising steeply in many low and middle-income contexts [2]. But for many, embracing this behaviour in the most equitable manner (in a public space) can paradoxically increase disease risk from exposure to other harmful factors such as air pollution, environmental waste, injury, and safety risks in the course of engaging in physical activity in spaces that are not conducive to these behaviours [3]. This is due to the fact that physical activity increases the air pollution intake by increasing the inhaled dose of air pollutants because of the exercise-induced higher minute ventilation, and a higher deposition of the inhaled particles in the lungs.…”