Societal Contexts and Experiences that Predispose Children under 5 Years to Severe Malaria in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review.

Abstract

Review question/objective The objective of this review is to synthesise the best available evidence on the societal contexts and experiences that predispose children less than 5 years of age to severe malaria, caregivers’ perception about the causes of severe malaria and the strategies adopted to manage severe malaria in developing (low to middle income) countries The specific review questions are 1. What societal contexts (i.e. cultural barrier, caregiver’s socio-economic status, distance to health facility and caregiver’s educational level) predispose children under 5 years to severe malaria? 2. What are caregiver’s perceptions about the causes and symptoms of severe malaria among children under 5 years? 3. What strategies have been adopted by communities and caregivers to manage severe malaria among children under 5 years? Inclusion criteria Types of participants The review will consider qualitative studies conducted in low and middle income countries9 and reports on children below five (5) years of age with severe malaria. Types of intervention(s)/phenomena of interest The focus of interest for this systematic review are societal contexts and experiences that predispose children below 5 years of age to severe malaria, community and caregivers’ perception about causes and symptoms of severe malaria and strategies to manage severe malaria among children less than 5 years of age.