Mapping research evidence on implementation of the WHO ‘best buys’ and other interventions for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review protocol

The rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is a global health concern. To reduce the burden of morbidity, mortality and disability due to NCDs, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed ‘best buys’ and other interventions for the prevention and control of NCDs by member countries. However, their extent of implementation especially in sub-Saharan African countries (SSA) is not known. Therefore, this scoping review aims to map and describe research evidence on implementation of the WHO’s ‘best buys’ and other interventions for reducing unhealthy diets in SSA.

This review will be guided by the enhanced version of Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and the recent Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines for scoping reviews. To identify the relevant published literature for this review, a comprehensive keyword search will be conducted in PubMed, SCOPUS, EBSCOhost (CINAHL, Health Resource and PsycINFO) and Cochrane Library from 2017 to 2021. Boolean terms (‘AND’ and ‘OR’), as well as Medical Subject Heading terms, will be included where essential. Government websites of SSA countries, the WHO’s website and Google Scholar will be consulted for grey literature such as governmental policies/strategies focus on reducing unhealthy diets. Moreover, the reference list of included evidence sources will be searched for additional literature. Two reviewers will independently screen the articles at the abstract and full-text screening phases guided by the review eligibility criteria. Also, all relevant data will be extracted independently by two reviewers, analysed thematically and the findings reported qualitatively.

The evidence produced by this review will help identify implementation and policy gaps to inform future implementation research/interventions studies using a variety of evidence-based strategies towards the prevention and control of NCDs due to unhealthy diets in the WHO Africa Region. Platforms such as peer review journals, policy briefs and conferences will be used to disseminate this review’s findings.