Win Tin Zar, Kyaw Myo Thura, Smith Chris, Kamiya Yasuhiko, Aiga Hirotsugu
School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
Department of Developmental Medical Sciences, School of International Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
BMJ Open. 2025 Aug 27;15(8):e099950. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-099950.
Malnutrition is a critical global health issue, particularly among the vulnerable children whose socioeconomic, sociocultural and environmental characteristics are unique. Malnutrition significantly increases the risk of mortality and non-communicable diseases, impairs physical growth, hinders cognitive development and limits children's potential. While a number of earlier studies explored the determinants of malnutrition among children under 5 years of age in refugee and internally displaced person (IDP) populations, comprehensive reviews are scarce. A systematic synthesis of existing data is essential to better understand its prevalence and associated risk factors, informing more effective interventions.
This systematic review protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We will conduct a comprehensive search in PubMed, Scopus and ProQuest. Additionally, relevant grey literature will be explored using Google Scholar and Google Advanced Search. We will include cross-sectional, cohort and case-control studies published in English that report the prevalence of malnutrition and associated factors among children under 5 years of age in refugee and/or IDP populations. Two reviewers will screen and extract data independently. The quality of the included studies will be assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool. Meta-analysis will estimate pooled prevalence of malnutrition, as well as the pooled OR for associated factors, using a random-effects model with 95% CIs. Heterogeneity will be assessed using the χ² test and I² value.
Ethical approval is not required. The results will be published in a peer-review journal and presented at conferences.
CRD42024611728.
营养不良是一个严峻的全球健康问题，在社会经济、社会文化和环境特征独特的弱势儿童中尤为突出。营养不良会显著增加死亡风险和非传染性疾病的发生几率，损害身体发育，阻碍认知发展，并限制儿童的潜力。虽然许多早期研究探讨了难民和境内流离失所者（IDP）群体中5岁以下儿童营养不良的决定因素，但全面的综述却很匮乏。对现有数据进行系统综合对于更好地了解其患病率和相关风险因素至关重要，可为更有效的干预措施提供依据。
本系统综述方案遵循系统评价与Meta分析的首选报告项目指南。我们将在PubMed、Scopus和ProQuest中进行全面检索。此外，还将使用谷歌学术和谷歌高级搜索探索相关灰色文献。我们将纳入以英文发表的横断面研究、队列研究和病例对照研究，这些研究报告了难民和/或境内流离失所者群体中5岁以下儿童营养不良的患病率及相关因素。两名评审员将独立筛选和提取数据。将使用乔安娜·布里格斯研究所的批判性评价工具评估纳入研究的质量。Meta分析将使用95%置信区间的随机效应模型估计营养不良的合并患病率以及相关因素的合并比值比。将使用χ²检验和I²值评估异质性。
无需伦理批准。研究结果将发表在同行评审期刊上，并在会议上展示。
PROSPERO注册号：CRD42024611728。
