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Methods for conducting systematic reviews of risk factors in low- and middle-income countries

Shenderovich, Yulia; Eisner, Manuel; Mikton, Christopher; Gardner, Frances; Liu, Jianghong; Murray, Joseph

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Authors

Yulia Shenderovich

Manuel Eisner

Frances Gardner

Jianghong Liu

Joseph Murray



Abstract

© 2016 Shenderovich et al. Background: Rates of youth violence are disproportionately high in many low- and middle-income countries [LMICs] but existing reviews of risk factors focus almost exclusively on high-income countries. Different search strategies, including non-English language searches, might be required to identify relevant evidence in LMICs. This paper discusses methodological issues in systematic reviews aiming to include evidence from LMICs, using the example of a recent review of risk factors for child conduct problems and youth violence in LMICs. Methods: We searched the main international databases, such as PsycINFO, Medline and EMBASE in English, as well as 12 regional databases in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. In addition, we used internet search engines and Google Scholar, and contacted over 200 researchers and organizations to identify potentially eligible studies in LMICs. Results: The majority of relevant studies were identified in the mainstream databases, but additional studies were also found through regional databases, such as CNKI, Wangfang, LILACS and SciELO. Overall, 85 % of eligible studies were in English, and 15 % were reported in Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian or French. Among eligible studies in languages other than English, two-thirds were identified only by regional databases and one-third was also indexed in the main international databases. Conclusions: There are many studies on child conduct problems and youth violence in LMICs which have not been included in prior reviews. Most research on these subjects in LMICs has been produced in the last two-three decades and mostly in middle-income countries, such as China, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa and Russia. Based on our findings, it appears that many studies of child conduct problems and youth violence in LMICs are reported in English, Chinese, Spanish and Portuguese, but few such studies are published in French, Arabic or Russian. If non-English language searches and screening had not been conducted in the current review, 15 % of eligible studies would have been missed. Although there are benefits to non-English language searches and the inclusion of non-English studies in meta-analyses, systematic reviewers also need to consider the resources required to incorporate multi-lingual research.

Citation

Shenderovich, Y., Eisner, M., Mikton, C., Gardner, F., Liu, J., & Murray, J. (2016). Methods for conducting systematic reviews of risk factors in low- and middle-income countries. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 16(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-016-0134-2

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Mar 10, 2016
Publication Date Jan 1, 2016
Deposit Date Sep 12, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal BMC Medical Research Methodology
Electronic ISSN 1471-2288
Publisher BioMed Central
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 16
Issue 1
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-016-0134-2
Keywords databases, meta-analysis, systematic review, low- and middle-income countries, conduct problems,
violence
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/923183
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12874-016-0134-2

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