Browsing by Author "Ouma, Simple"

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    Predictors of trajectories of child neurodevelopment in the first 2 years of life in LMICs: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol
    (Research Square, 2025-04-16) Nyakato, Mary; Nakasujja, Noeline; Idro, Richard; Akena, Dickens; Naggayi, Shubaya Kasule; Ssemata, Andrew Sentoogo; Nakitende, Anne Jacqueline; Nyangoma, Betty; Ouma, Simple; Ssenkusu, John Mbaziira; Chandy, John C.; Bangirana, Paul; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Background: In low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), children are exposed to multiple risks that may compromise their neurodevelopment, especially during the early years. Early childhood developmental trajectories are crucial, especially in such at-risk populations as they help predict future neurocognitive potential. In LMICs where numerous factors shape child neurodevelopment, describing neurodevelopment trajectories and understanding the predictors that shape them is imperative for early intervention. The systematic review and meta-analysis will determine the predictors of trajectories of child neurodevelopment during the first 2 years of life in LMICs. Methods and analysis: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines will be followed while performing this review. PubMed, Psych INFO, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases and reference lists of relevant articles will be searched for articles. Selected publications will be uploaded to Endnote to remove duplicates and reviewed by title, abstract, and full text to identify those meeting the eligibility criteria. Longitudinal studies on child neurodevelopment and associated predictors among children aged ≤ 24 months in LMICs will be included. Screening, data extraction, and critical appraisal will be done by two autonomous reviewers. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) will evaluate the risk of bias and funnel plot asymmetry, publication bias. The I 2 statistics will be used to test for heterogeneity in the selected studies and STATA-18 and EPPI-reviewer software for statistical analysis. A random-effects meta-analysis will be undertaken. Discussion: The protocol describes a systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at identifying factors influencing neurodevelopment trajectories during the first 2 years of life in LMICs. The review findings may provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence child neurodevelopment, particularly in the first 2 years of life in LMICs, help identify critical windows of opportunity for intervention, and potentially guide the design of age and contextually appropriate interventions for optimizing neurodevelopmental outcomes, especially in this context.
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    Prevalence and risk factors of gross neurologic deficits in children after severe malaria: a systematic review protocol
    (Springer Nature, 2025-04-03) Okullo, Allen Eva; John, Chandy C.; Idro, Richard; Conroy, Andrea L.; Kinengyere, Alison Annet; Ojiambo, Kevin Ouma; Otike, Caroline; Ouma, Simple; Ocan, Moses; Obuku, Ekwaro A.; van Hensbroek, Michael Boele; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Background: Children exposed to severe malaria may recover with gross neurologic deficits (GND). Several risk factors for GND after cerebral malaria (CM), the deadliest form of severe malaria, have been identified in children. However, there is inconsistency between previously reported and more recent findings. Although CM patients are the most likely group to develop GND, it is not clear if other forms of severe malaria (non-CM) may also contribute to malaria-related GND. The objective of this systematic review is to synthesize evidence on the prevalence and risk factors for GND in children after severe malaria. Methods: The systematic review will be conducted according to recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Protocols (PRISMA-P). Relevant research articles will be identified using relevant search terms from the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Global Index Medicus (GIM). The articles will be screened at title and abstract and then at full text for inclusion using a priori eligibility criteria. Data extraction will be carried out using a tool developed and optimized in an Excel spreadsheet. Risk of bias will be assessed using appropriate tools including Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Exposures (ROBINS-E) and the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 (ROB2) for randomized control trials (RCTs), and where appropriate, publication bias will be assessed using a funnel plot. A random-effects meta-analysis or synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM) will be performed as appropriate, and the results will be presented in tables and graphs. Conclusion: Findings from this systematic review will inform policymakers on the planning, design, and implementation of interventions targeting the treatment and rehabilitation of GND following severe malaria in children.
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    Prevalence and risk factors of gross neurologic deficits in children after severe malaria: a systematic review protocol
    (Research Square, 2024-02-23) Okullo, Allen Eva; John, Chandy C.; Idro, Richard; Conroy, Andrea L.; Kinengyere, Alison Annet; Ojiambo, Kevin Ouma; Otike, Caroline; Ouma, Simple; Ocan, Moses; Obuku, Ekwaro A.; van Hensbroek, Michaël Boele; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Background: Children exposed to severe malaria may recover with gross neurologic deficits (GND). Several risk factors for GND after cerebral malaria (CM), the deadliest form of severe malaria, have been identified in children. However, there is inconsistency between previously reported and more recent findings. Although CM patients are the most likely group to develop GND, it is not clear if other forms of severe malaria (non-CM) may also contribute to the malaria related GND. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesize evidence on the prevalence and risk factors for GND in children following CM and map the changes in patterns over time. In addition, this review will synthesize evidence on the reported prevalence and risk factors of gross neurologic deficits following other forms of severe malaria. Methods: The systematic review will be conducted according to recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Protocols (PRISMA-P). Relevant research articles will be identified using relevant search terms from the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and Global Index Medicus (GIM). The articles will be screened at title and abstract, then at full text for inclusion using a priori eligibility criteria. Data extraction will be done using a tool developed and optimized in Excel spreadsheet. Risk of bias assessment will be done using appropriate tools including ROBINS-E ('Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Exposure') tool, while publication bias will be assessed using funnel plot. A random-effects meta-analysis and structured narrative synthesis of the outcomes will be performed and results presented. Discussion: Findings from this systematic review will inform policy makers on planning, design and implementation of interventions targeting the treatment and rehabilitation of GND following severe malaria in children.