Effect of school-based nutrition interventions among primary school children in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review protocol

IntroductionPreadolescents are passing through an intensive growth and development period that will benefit from healthy eating practices. For those attending school, school environments offer several potential benefits and have been demonstrated to influence the quality of dietary intakes and consequentially, nutritional status of school-aged children (SAC). Considering the amount of time children spend in school and the enormous potential of evidence-based interventions, the purpose of this review is to critically appraise peer-reviewed literature addressing the impact of school-based interventions on the nutritional status of SAC aged 6-12 years in sub-Saharan Africa.Methods and analysisA systematic search will be conducted in the following databases and online search records: Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, Embase, Global health, Global Index Medicus, Cochrane library, Hinari and Google Scholar using search terms and keywords codeveloped with two librarians. An additional search will also be conducted from the reference list of identified literature. Search results of titles and abstracts will be initially screened for eligibility criteria by two independent reviewers and where there is disagreement, a third reviewer will be consulted. Articles meeting these criteria will then undergo a full-text review for the eligibility and exclusion criteria. The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool will be used to assess the risk of bias. Data from articles meeting all study criteria will be extracted, analysed and synthesised. A meta-analysis will also be conducted if sufficient data are available.Ethics and disseminationThis systematic review is limited to publicly accessible data bases not requiring prior ethical approval to access. The results of the systematic review will be disseminated through publications in peer-reviewed journals as well as conference and stakeholder presentations.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42022334829.

Automated summary

This article aims to critically evaluate the nutritional status of 6-12 year-old school-aged children in sub-Saharan Africa in school environments and summarize the impact of school-based interventions on them. A systematic search will be conducted in multiple databases and online search records to identify relevant articles for analysis and synthesis. The results will be disseminated through publications in peer-reviewed journals as well as conference and stakeholder presentations.