Nyakato Mary, Nakasujja Noeline, Idro Richard, Akena Dickens, Naggayi Shubaya Kasule, Ssemata Andrew Sentoogo, Nakitende Anne Jacqueline, Nyangoma Betty, Ouma Simple, Ssenkusu John Mbaziira, Chandy John C, Bangirana Paul
Makerere University College of Health Sciences.
MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit.
Res Sq. 2025 Apr 16:rs.3.rs-5285073. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5285073/v1.
In low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), children are exposed to multiple risks that may compromise their neurodevelopment, especially during the early years. Early childhood developmental trajectories are crucial, especially in such at-risk populations as they help predict future neurocognitive potential. In LMICs where numerous factors shape child neurodevelopment, describing neurodevelopment trajectories and understanding the predictors that shape them is imperative for early intervention. The systematic review and meta-analysis will determine the predictors of trajectories of child neurodevelopment during the first 2 years of life in LMICs.
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines will be followed while performing this review. PubMed, Psych INFO, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases and reference lists of relevant articles will be searched for articles. Selected publications will be uploaded to Endnote to remove duplicates and reviewed by title, abstract, and full text to identify those meeting the eligibility criteria. Longitudinal studies on child neurodevelopment and associated predictors among children aged ≤ 24 months in LMICs will be included. Screening, data extraction, and critical appraisal will be done by two autonomous reviewers. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) will evaluate the risk of bias and funnel plot asymmetry, publication bias. The I statistics will be used to test for heterogeneity in the selected studies and STATA-18 and EPPI-reviewer software for statistical analysis. A random-effects meta-analysis will be undertaken.
The protocol describes a systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at identifying factors influencing neurodevelopment trajectories during the first 2 years of life in LMICs. The review findings may provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence child neurodevelopment, particularly in the first 2 years of life in LMICs, help identify critical windows of opportunity for intervention, and potentially guide the design of age and contextually appropriate interventions for optimizing neurodevelopmental outcomes, especially in this context.
International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO), CRD42023421753.
在低收入和中等收入国家（LMICs），儿童面临多种可能损害其神经发育的风险，尤其是在早年时期。幼儿期的发育轨迹至关重要，特别是在这类高危人群中，因为它们有助于预测未来的神经认知潜力。在众多因素影响儿童神经发育的低收入和中等收入国家，描述神经发育轨迹并了解塑造这些轨迹的预测因素对于早期干预至关重要。本系统评价和荟萃分析将确定低收入和中等收入国家儿童生命最初2年神经发育轨迹的预测因素。
进行本评价时将遵循系统评价和荟萃分析方案的首选报告项目（PRISMA-P）指南。将在PubMed、Psych INFO、EMBASE和谷歌学术数据库以及相关文章的参考文献列表中搜索文章。选定的出版物将上传至Endnote以去除重复项，并通过标题、摘要和全文进行审查，以确定符合纳入标准的文献。将纳入关于低收入和中等收入国家24个月及以下儿童神经发育及相关预测因素的纵向研究。筛选、数据提取和批判性评价将由两名独立的评审员完成。推荐分级评估、制定和评价（GRADE）将评估偏倚风险和漏斗图不对称性、发表偏倚。I统计量将用于检验所选研究中的异质性，使用STATA-18和EPPI-reviewer软件进行统计分析。将进行随机效应荟萃分析。
本方案描述了一项系统评价和荟萃分析，旨在确定影响低收入和中等收入国家儿童生命最初2年神经发育轨迹的因素。该评价结果可能提供对影响儿童神经发育因素的全面理解，特别是在低收入和中等收入国家儿童生命的最初2年，有助于确定关键的干预机会窗口，并有可能指导设计适合年龄和背景的干预措施，以优化神经发育结局，尤其是在这种情况下。
国际系统评价前瞻性注册库（PROSPERO），CRD42023421753。
