TY - JOUR
T1 - Characteristics of longitudinal maternal health studies in sub-Saharan Africa
T2 - A systematic mapping of literature between 2012 and 2022
AU - for the HEAT Center
AU - Solarin, Ijeoma
AU - Dumbura, Cherlynn
AU - Lakhoo, Darshnika Pemi
AU - Chande, Kshama
AU - Maimela, Gloria
AU - Luchters, Stanley
AU - Chersich, Matthew
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Background: High maternal mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa necessitate the need for aligned research focusing on prevalent causes and neglected conditions in the region. Objective: This mapping review aimed to describe the characteristics of longitudinal maternal health studies between 2012 and 2022 in sub-Saharan Africa and identify gaps in priority conditions or geographical locations. Search Strategy: We identified references through a Medline (PubMed) search covering September 2012 to June 2022. Selection Criteria: We included prospective cohort or clinical trials that enrolled at least 1000 pregnant women, with a study site in sub-Saharan Africa, and published in English or French. Data Collection and Analysis: Screening and data extraction were done in duplicate using EPPI-reviewer software. Descriptive analysis was used to summarize the results, identifying patterns in studies across time, country, study design, topics, and funders. Main Results: We identified 213 eligible studies, which were covered in 534 publications. We identified studies in 33 of the 48 sub-Saharan African countries, with the majority in east and southern Africa. The predominant study topics were HIV (36.4%), nutrition (20%), and malaria (16.3%), with very few publications on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (6.4%), ante/postpartum hemorrhage (3.7%), and sexually transmitted infections (3.2%). More studies were cohorts (115/213; 54%) than clinical trials. The National Institutes of Health (31.5%), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (22.1%), and USAID (10.8%) were the largest research funders. Conclusion: Identifying research trends and mismatches between research topics and disease burden provides useful information for guiding future research prioritization. In particular, gaps exist for studies on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and ante/postpartum hemorrhage, among the top causes of maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.
AB - Background: High maternal mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa necessitate the need for aligned research focusing on prevalent causes and neglected conditions in the region. Objective: This mapping review aimed to describe the characteristics of longitudinal maternal health studies between 2012 and 2022 in sub-Saharan Africa and identify gaps in priority conditions or geographical locations. Search Strategy: We identified references through a Medline (PubMed) search covering September 2012 to June 2022. Selection Criteria: We included prospective cohort or clinical trials that enrolled at least 1000 pregnant women, with a study site in sub-Saharan Africa, and published in English or French. Data Collection and Analysis: Screening and data extraction were done in duplicate using EPPI-reviewer software. Descriptive analysis was used to summarize the results, identifying patterns in studies across time, country, study design, topics, and funders. Main Results: We identified 213 eligible studies, which were covered in 534 publications. We identified studies in 33 of the 48 sub-Saharan African countries, with the majority in east and southern Africa. The predominant study topics were HIV (36.4%), nutrition (20%), and malaria (16.3%), with very few publications on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (6.4%), ante/postpartum hemorrhage (3.7%), and sexually transmitted infections (3.2%). More studies were cohorts (115/213; 54%) than clinical trials. The National Institutes of Health (31.5%), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (22.1%), and USAID (10.8%) were the largest research funders. Conclusion: Identifying research trends and mismatches between research topics and disease burden provides useful information for guiding future research prioritization. In particular, gaps exist for studies on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and ante/postpartum hemorrhage, among the top causes of maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.
KW - clinical trials
KW - longitudinal studies
KW - maternal health
KW - prospective cohorts
KW - research funding
KW - sub-Saharan Africa
KW - systematic mapping
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85208942697&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/ijgo.16035
DO - 10.1002/ijgo.16035
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85208942697
SN - 0020-7292
JO - International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics
JF - International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics
ER -
