Systematic Reviews最新文献

{"title":"Meta-analysis of the effects of ginger supplementation on glycemic control, blood pressure and lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes.","authors":"Xin Chen, Shaomin Cheng, Delin Zhang","doi":"10.1186/s13643-026-03251-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13643-026-03251-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Ginger has shown promising effects on metabolism in preclinical and clinical studies. This updated and comprehensive meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effects of ginger on the cardiometabolic profile of patients with type 2 diabetes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Scopus, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from the inception to July 2, 2025, to find randomized controlled trials that compared the effects of ginger with placebo on glycemic indexes, blood pressure, and lipid profile among those with type 2 diabetes. A random-effects model (DerSimonian-Laird) was employed to pool data because of high heterogeneity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total, 13 articles were included in this meta-analysis. Ginger supplementation was associated with a statistically significant reduction in fasting blood sugar (FBS) (MD -16.27 mg/dl, 95% CI (-25.75, -6.80), I² = 86.39%), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (MD -0.41%, 95% CI (-0.63, -0.20), I² = 92.09%) systolic blood pressure (MD -1.62, 95% CI (-3.01, -0.24), I² = 6.09%), and triglyceride level (MD -17.10 mg/dL, 95% CI (-31.13, -3.07), I² = 81.61%); however, the magnitude of these effects was of limited clinical importance. A statistically significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level (MD 2.13 mg/dL, 95% CI (0.44, 3.82), I² = 85.72%) was also observed. However, treatment with ginger did not significantly change homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMAIR), diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and body mass index (BMI).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This meta-analysis indicated that ginger may probably improve the metabolic indices of patients with type 2 diabetes.</p>","PeriodicalId":22162,"journal":{"name":"Systematic Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13495174/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148309433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of remote care on the quality of care of pregnant women with diabetes: a systematic review protocol.","authors":"Sara Sousi, Geva Greenfield, Benedict W J Hayhoe, Natasha Singh, Azeem Majeed, Ara Darzi, Ana Luísa Neves","doi":"10.1186/s13643-026-03244-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13643-026-03244-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Diabetes during pregnancy, whether gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or pre-existing diabetes mellitus (DM), is associated with increased maternal and neonatal risks. Remote care has shown promise in managing diabetes in the general population, however, its impact on the quality of antenatal care for pregnant women with diabetes remains unclear. Considering the growing adoption of remote care globally, it is vital to understand its impact on the quality of care. This review aims to evaluate the impact of remote care on the quality of care for pregnant women with diabetes. This manuscript describes the protocol for the review.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, MIDIRS, Scopus, Cochrane, and Global Health databases will be searched to identify studies published from 2005 to 2025. Eligible studies will include original empirical research, encompassing both interventional (e.g. randomised controlled trials) and observational designs (e.g. cohort and cross-sectional studies), assessing remote care, including both virtual consultations and remote monitoring, for pregnant women with GDM, Type 1 or 2 DM. Quality of care will be assessed using the Institute of Medicine healthcare quality framework: patient-centredness, effectiveness, safety, efficiency, timeliness, and equity. Screening and data extraction will be conducted by two independent reviewers. The quality of the studies will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tools. Subgroup analyses will be undertaken to explore variation by diabetes and intervention type. This protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocol (PRISMA-P) guideline.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The findings of this review will provide evidence on the impact of remote care on the quality of care for pregnant women with pre-existing DM and GDM. Strengthening the evidence will support the development of evidence-based implementation strategies and inform policy decisions to ensure safe, effective, and patient-centred use of remote care interventions.</p><p><strong>Systematic review registration: </strong>PROSPERO CRD420251024685.</p>","PeriodicalId":22162,"journal":{"name":"Systematic Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13543511/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148302287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Screening and diagnosis tools for sarcopenia: an overview of systematic reviews.","authors":"Jingfeng Zou, Liping Wang, Shaotian Li, Jiajia Ran, Xin Yang, Chunhui Tian, Yiting Liu, Wen Peng","doi":"10.1186/s13643-026-03238-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13643-026-03238-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This overview of reviews aims to evaluate the validity of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses on screening and diagnosis tools for sarcopenia. The methodological quality and the quality of the evidence (QOE) were assessed following the AMSTAR-2 tool and the GRADE approach, respectively. Four SRs were evaluated on SARC-F, while 2 focused on its modified versions, employing both qualitative and quantitative analyses. The 4 SRs analyzed 98 overlapping reports, comprising 51 unique index publications and 26 duplicates. The \"% overlaps\" for this overview was 50.98%, meanwhile the covered area (CA) was 48.04%, and the corrected CA (CCA) was 30.72%, indicating a very high overlap. When SARC-F was used, results from four records showed a pooled sensitivity ranging from 14 to 77% and pooled specificity from 63 to 94% (QOE: very low to moderate). When its modified versions were used, results from two records showed a pooled sensitivity ranging from 19 to 57% and pooled specificity from 79 to 92% (QOE: low to moderate). AMSTAR-2 assessments revealed that only 10.7% critical domains were unmet, demonstrating high methodological rigor and strong confidence in the findings. Compared to SARC-F, its modified versions show improved performance and can be a more desirable screening tool for sarcopenia. A summary table was compiled to aid clinicians by providing a clear comparison of SARC-F and its modified versions based on the available evidence.</p>","PeriodicalId":22162,"journal":{"name":"Systematic Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13551783/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148309509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nourish the mind: protocol for an umbrella review on nutrients and bioactive food components supporting brain health across the lifespan.","authors":"Berivan Ece, Corinne H Miller, Xiaoran Liu, Patricia Bucko, Colby J Vorland, Chwan-Li Shen, Lauren Roberson","doi":"10.1186/s13643-026-03250-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13643-026-03250-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Brain health is the state of optimal brain functioning across cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioral, and motor domains, supporting individuals to achieve their full potential at every stage of life. Diet is a modifiable factor that plays a fundamental role in supporting brain health. Although many systematic reviews have examined individual nutrients or bioactive food components (BFCs) in relation to cognitive and related brain health outcomes, no comprehensive umbrella review has yet synthesized this evidence across nutrients, BFCs, life stages, intake levels, and brain health outcomes. To our knowledge, this will be the first umbrella review to systematically map and synthesize evidence across nutrients, BFCs, life stages, intake levels, and brain health domains in generally healthy individuals free from major chronic medical, neurological, psychiatric, and neurodegenerative conditions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This umbrella review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. A comprehensive search will be conducted in Embase (Elsevier), MEDLINE (Ovid), Web of Science (Clarivate), PsycINFO (EBSCO), CINAHL (EBSCO), and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Wiley) to identify systematic reviews published between January 1, 2016 and March 2, 2026 that meet eligibility criteria. Two trained reviewers will independently screen titles/abstracts and full texts, with data extraction performed only from the retained reviews. The methodological quality of included reviews will be appraised using the AMSTAR-2 (A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2), and the overlap of primary studies across reviews will be evaluated using the Corrected Covered Area (CCA) method. The results will be reported in adherence to the Preferred Reporting Items for Overviews of Reviews (PRIOR) guidelines.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This umbrella review will provide an integrated summary of existing systematic review evidence on nutrients and BFCs in relation to cognitive and related brain health outcomes in generally healthy populations. Findings will guide the development of age-specific, evidence-based dietary strategies to promote optimal brain health across the lifespan and support public health recommendations and future dietary guidelines.</p><p><strong>Systematic review registration: </strong>PROSPERO CRD420251186632.</p>","PeriodicalId":22162,"journal":{"name":"Systematic Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13543491/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148302284","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of low-dose aspirin on maternal haemoglobin levels during pregnancy: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Nokwethemba Monica Ngcobo, Vino Dorsamy, Chauntelle Bagwandeen","doi":"10.1186/s13643-026-03219-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13643-026-03219-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Aspirin, a cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor with anti-inflammatory and antiplatelet properties, is widely used during pregnancy to prevent preeclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Despite its benefits, low-dose aspirin (LDA) has been linked to obstetric haemorrhage, including postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), and may influence haemoglobin (Hb) levels via its iron-chelating effects. The potential combined impact of LDA on Hb levels and pregnancy outcomes, however, remains unclear. This systematic review protocol aims to evaluate the effect of LDA on maternal Hb levels during pregnancy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Following PRISMA-P guidelines, comprehensive searches will be conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov, as well as grey literature sources. Eligible studies will include randomised controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, and case-control studies reporting Hb levels in pregnant women using LDA. Two independent reviewers will perform screening, data extraction, and quality appraisal. Data will be synthesised using meta-analysis where feasible, with subgroup analyses to explore heterogeneity, and narrative synthesis for studies not suitable for pooling.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The systematic review will generate pooled evidence on how LDA affects maternal Hb levels and associated pregnancy outcomes such as PE and fetal growth.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings may assist in refining clinical recommendations for LDA use in pregnancy by balancing its preventive benefits with potential risks related to anaemia, and haemorrhage.</p><p><strong>Systematic review registration: </strong>PROSPERO CRD42024556220.</p>","PeriodicalId":22162,"journal":{"name":"Systematic Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13523184/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148284637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acute and chronic effects of physical exercise on pain in breast cancer survivors during chemotherapy: a systematic review protocol.","authors":"Nathan Muci Aguiar, Vitor Andrade Maciel, Ricardo Borges Viana, Gabriela Souza de Vasconcelos, Anderson Garcia Silva, Rafael Ribeiro Alves, Carlos Alexandre Vieira","doi":"10.1186/s13643-026-03218-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13643-026-03218-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pain is a common and clinically relevant symptom during chemotherapy for breast cancer, negatively affecting quality of life. Although physical exercise is recommended and considered safe during chemotherapy, it may acutely exacerbate pain while potentially reducing it in the long term. Therefore, this study aims to systematically review the acute and chronic effects of physical exercise on pain outcomes in breast cancer survivors undergoing chemotherapy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This protocol follows PRISMA-P guidelines. Searches will be conducted in PubMed, Excerpta Medica dataBASE (Embase), Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Eligible studies will include randomized controlled trials enrolling adults with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy who participate in structured exercise interventions and have pain assessed using objective and/or subjective measures. Risk of bias will be assessed using Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials, version 2 (RoB 2), and certainty of evidence using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>By distinguishing short- and long-term effects, the review aims to clarify the role of exercise in pain management during treatment. Anticipated heterogeneity will be addressed through structured risk of bias assessment, subgroup and sensitivity analyses, and evaluation of evidence certainty.</p><p><strong>Systematic review registration: </strong>The protocol is registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251102981).</p>","PeriodicalId":22162,"journal":{"name":"Systematic Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13393603/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148259645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of family-centered communication on caregiving ability and health outcomes in premature infants: a systematic review protocol.","authors":"Mira Miraturrofi'ah, Qorinah Estiningtyas Sakilah Adnani, Dwi Agustian, Dany Hilmanto","doi":"10.1186/s13643-026-03240-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13643-026-03240-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Preterm neonatal morbidity and mortality remain major global health challenges, particularly in low-resource settings. Family-centered communication (FCC) has shown promise in strengthening caregiver competencies and improving neonatal outcomes. However, evidence on the effectiveness of FCC across diverse healthcare and community contexts, intervention modalities, and outcome measures remains fragmented.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This systematic review protocol will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. The review will include studies evaluating FCC interventions directed at parents or primary caregivers of preterm infants, excluding those with medical comorbidities. Eligible interventions will be delivered by healthcare professionals and include structured health education, counseling, communication training, multidisciplinary collaboration, and caregiver involvement in decision-making. Eligible study designs include randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental, and analytical observational studies. The search strategy will be guided by the Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome (PICO) framework and conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Scopus, supplemented by manual screening of reference lists and key journals. Two reviewers will independently conduct study selection, critical appraisal, and data extraction. The findings will be synthesized narratively following the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) guidelines, and where appropriate, meta-analysis will be performed. Certainty of evidence will be appraised using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach, and results summarized in a Summary of Findings table.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This review aims to provide a comprehensive synthesis of evidence on the effectiveness of FCC strategies compared with standard care in improving caregivers' ability and the health outcomes of preterm infants. The findings are expected to inform evidence-based practices and guide healthcare professionals, policymakers, and program developers in implementing effective FCC approaches across diverse settings.</p><p><strong>Systematic review registration: </strong>PROSPERO CRD420250645221.</p>","PeriodicalId":22162,"journal":{"name":"Systematic Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13501729/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148259608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using full agreement across multiple large language models for title-and-abstract screening in systematic reviews: a proof-of-concept.","authors":"Frederic Hilkenmeier, Merle Stoltenberg, Christian Stierle","doi":"10.1186/s13643-026-03228-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13643-026-03228-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The exponential growth of scientific literature poses significant challenges for conducting systematic reviews, particularly in the labor-intensive title-and-abstract screening phase. This study examines the feasibility of using multiple large language models (LLMs) for title-and-abstract screening in systematic reviews.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We propose and evaluate a full-agreement approach using three commercially available LLMs from different model families (ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude), in which automated classification decisions are only accepted when all three models assign the same label. This approach was examined across six datasets to assess its effectiveness. A structured workflow was developed to support implementation without requiring specialized technical expertise. Additionally, a stop criterion was introduced to ensure that LLM-based classification is only applied when predefined performance thresholds are met.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Across the six datasets, approximately four in five abstracts received full agreement across models and could therefore be classified automatically. For this subset of abstracts, classification performance was consistently higher than that of previous automated approaches using LLMs, with statistically significant improvements in all prespecified performance metrics.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>A full agreement approach across three LLMs may offer a promising and conservative strategy for title-and-abstract screening in systematic reviews by automating concordant decisions while reserving human review for discordant cases. As a proof-of-concept, the present findings support this approach as a possible workflow for reducing screening burden in the face of continued growth in the scientific literature, although its broader generalizability remains to be established.</p>","PeriodicalId":22162,"journal":{"name":"Systematic Reviews","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13263951/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148239753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Attrition rates in hand and wrist trauma trials: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.","authors":"Sophie Elisa Gibbs Ludbrook, Andrew James Robert Waters, Justin Conrad Rosen Wormald","doi":"10.1186/s13643-026-03201-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13643-026-03201-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Hand and wrist injuries are increasingly prevalent and impact individuals' abilities to participate in society and generate income. Attrition in the hand and wrist trauma treatment time course and trials is a recognised issue, with patients disengaging from follow-up due to various logistical and socioeconomic barriers. While several studies have addressed this, the timeline and causes of attrition in trials remain inconsistent. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the attrition rates among patients with hand and wrist trauma across all prospective randomised controlled trials (RCTs), identifying critical time points for attrition, at-risk patient populations, and comparing surgical versus non-surgical interventions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The databases Embase, PubMed, and CENRAL will be searched. Abstracts will be screened by two persons independently to identify eligible studies. The systematic review will include prospective randomised controlled trials in participants with hand and/or wrist trauma. The review will consider patient demographics and proportions of attrition rates at time frames of 30 days, 90 days, 6 months, and 12 months. The meta-analysis will compare attrition time frame considering patient demographics, intervention and injury types, and documented attrition reasons. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool 2 will be used to assess the risk of methodological bias in the randomised controlled trials.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This systematic review and meta-analysis will address the critical gap in understanding attrition rates in hand/wrist trauma research. By identifying which patients are at risk and when attrition occurs, we aim to develop a toolkit to improve follow-up rates and, in turn, patient outcomes. Ultimately, the findings will inform future clinical practices and research methodologies, contributing to more representative and robust evidence in hand/wrist trauma management.</p><p><strong>Systematic review registration: </strong>PROSPERO CRD42024588638.</p>","PeriodicalId":22162,"journal":{"name":"Systematic Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13523474/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148239588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence and factors associated with loneliness among older adults in Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Chilot Kassa Mekonnen, Moges Tadesse Abebe, Hailemichael Kindie Abate, Worku Chekol Tassew, Tesfahun Zemene Tafere","doi":"10.1186/s13643-026-03229-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13643-026-03229-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Loneliness is increasingly becoming a serious public health problem, particularly among older adults. Older adults are highly influenced by underlying factors such as unemployment/retirement, age-related diseases, and loss of relatives/friends; as a result, they are prone to loneliness. Despite several studies being conducted in developed countries and a few in African countries, there has been no documented systematic review evidence of this problem in the African region.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To determine the pooled prevalence and associated factors of loneliness among older adults in Africa.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Original studies on the prevalence of loneliness among older adults in Africa were retrieved from well-known international databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, as well as search engines like Google and Google Scholar. A random-effects model was applied to estimate the combined prevalence of loneliness among older adults in Africa. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA version 17 software.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>This systematic review and meta-analysis included 18 cross-sectional observational studies that provided data on the prevalence of loneliness among older adults. The overall pooled prevalence of loneliness in this population was 37.86 [95% CI (30.11, 45.62), I² = 100%, p < 0.01]. The odds of experiencing loneliness among married older adults were 59% less likely to feel lonely [AOR = 0.41, 95% CI (0.24, 0.68)] compared to unmarried, alcohol intake, which was associated with higher odds of loneliness [AOR = 1.87, 95% CI (1.09, 4.11)] compared to did not take alcohol, and the presence of depressive symptoms had a substantially increased odds of loneliness [AOR = 3.13, 95% CI (1.03, 10.0)] compared to without depressive symptoms.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In this systematic review well over one-third of older adults suffered from loneliness which highlights that loneliness is a significant concern among older adults in Africa. Marital status, alcohol-drinking habits, and depressive symptoms were found significant predictors of loneliness among older adults in Africa.</p>","PeriodicalId":22162,"journal":{"name":"Systematic Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13483652/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148228320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}