TY - JOUR
T1 - Epidemics, Lockdown Measures and Vulnerable Populations
T2 - A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review of the Evidence of Impacts on Mother and Child Health in Low-and Lower-Middle-Income Countries
AU - Russo, Giuliano
AU - Jesus, Tiago Silva
AU - Deane, Kevin
AU - Osman, Abdinasir Yusuf
AU - McCoy, David
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s).
PY - 2022/10
Y1 - 2022/10
N2 - Background: The aim of this research was to synthetise the existing evidence on the impact of epidemic-related lockdown measures on women and children’s health in low-and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs). Methods: A mixed-methods systematic review was conducted of qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods evidence. Between 1st and 10th of November 2021, seven scientific databases were searched. The inclusion criteria were that the paper provided evidence on the impact of lockdown and related measures, focused on LLMICs, addressed impacts on women and child’s health, addressed epidemics from 2000-2020, was peer-reviewed, provided original evidence, and was published in English. The Joanne Briggs Institute’s critical appraisal tools were used to assess the quality of the studies, and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for reporting. The evidence from the papers was grouped by type of lockdown measure and categories of impact, using a narrative data-based convergent synthesis design. Results: The review process identified 46 papers meeting the inclusion criteria from 17 countries that focussed on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Ebola epidemics. The evidence on the decrease of utilisation of health services showed plummeting immunisation rates and faltering use of maternal and perinatal services, which was linked to a growth of premature deaths. Impacts on the mental health of children and women were convincingly established, with lockdowns associated with surges in depression, anxiety and low life satisfaction. Vulnerability may be compounded by lockdowns, as livelihoods were disrupted, and poverty levels increased. Conclusion: Limitations included that searches were conducted in late-2020 as new research was being published, and that some evidence not published in English may have been excluded. Epidemic-related lockdown measures carry consequences for the health of women and children in lower-income settings. Governments will need to weigh the trade-offs of introducing such measures and consider policies to mitigate their impacts on the most vulnerable.
AB - Background: The aim of this research was to synthetise the existing evidence on the impact of epidemic-related lockdown measures on women and children’s health in low-and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs). Methods: A mixed-methods systematic review was conducted of qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods evidence. Between 1st and 10th of November 2021, seven scientific databases were searched. The inclusion criteria were that the paper provided evidence on the impact of lockdown and related measures, focused on LLMICs, addressed impacts on women and child’s health, addressed epidemics from 2000-2020, was peer-reviewed, provided original evidence, and was published in English. The Joanne Briggs Institute’s critical appraisal tools were used to assess the quality of the studies, and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for reporting. The evidence from the papers was grouped by type of lockdown measure and categories of impact, using a narrative data-based convergent synthesis design. Results: The review process identified 46 papers meeting the inclusion criteria from 17 countries that focussed on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Ebola epidemics. The evidence on the decrease of utilisation of health services showed plummeting immunisation rates and faltering use of maternal and perinatal services, which was linked to a growth of premature deaths. Impacts on the mental health of children and women were convincingly established, with lockdowns associated with surges in depression, anxiety and low life satisfaction. Vulnerability may be compounded by lockdowns, as livelihoods were disrupted, and poverty levels increased. Conclusion: Limitations included that searches were conducted in late-2020 as new research was being published, and that some evidence not published in English may have been excluded. Epidemic-related lockdown measures carry consequences for the health of women and children in lower-income settings. Governments will need to weigh the trade-offs of introducing such measures and consider policies to mitigate their impacts on the most vulnerable.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Epidemics in LMICs
KW - Lockdown Measures
KW - Mother and Child Health
KW - Non-pharmaceutical Interventions
KW - Public Health and Quarantine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85140037334&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.34172/ijhpm.2021.155
DO - 10.34172/ijhpm.2021.155
M3 - Review article
C2 - 34894643
AN - SCOPUS:85140037334
SN - 2322-5939
VL - 11
SP - 2003
EP - 2021
JO - International Journal of Health Policy and Management
JF - International Journal of Health Policy and Management
IS - 10
ER -