Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection in Malaysia: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Muhammad Faiz Mohd Hisham; Fazila Haryati Ahmad; Hasmah Mohamed Haris; Noor Aliza Lodz; Norzawati Yoep; Eida Nurhadzira Muhammad; Rafidah Ali; Nor Asiah Muhamad

doi:10.2196/36077

Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection in Malaysia: Protocol for a Scoping Review

JMIR Res Protoc. 2022 Oct 5;11(10):e36077. doi: 10.2196/36077.

Authors

Muhammad Faiz Mohd Hisham^#¹, Fazila Haryati Ahmad¹, Hasmah Mohamed Haris¹, Noor Aliza Lodz¹, Norzawati Yoep¹, Eida Nurhadzira Muhammad¹, Rafidah Ali¹, Nor Asiah Muhamad²

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Public Health, National Institute of Health, Shah Alam, Malaysia.
² Evidence Based Healthcare, National Institute of Health, Shah Alam, Malaysia.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 36197715
PMCID: PMC9582912
DOI: 10.2196/36077

Abstract

Background: Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection is 1 of the 20 notable neglected tropical diseases according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization. In 2010, it is estimated that 1.73 billion people are infected with STH globally, of which 70% of cases occur in Asia. To date, there is a dearth of published literature on the prevalence of STH infection throughout Malaysia.

Objective: The objectives of this study are to review research activity on STH infection in Malaysia, to estimate the prevalence of STH infection among Malaysians, and to identify significant risk factors associated with the infection. This review aims to provide the current state of evidence pertaining to STH infections, focusing on the main areas, limitations, and biases of research and mapping out the morbidity distribution of the diseases and their causative agents, and to identify significant risk factors for preventive measures.

Methods: We will conduct a scoping review based on the 6-stage structured framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley. A comprehensive search strategy focusing on STH infection will be executed using electronic databases (Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase). A systematic approach for searching, screening, reviewing, and data extraction will be applied based on the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. Mendeley software and Microsoft Excel will be used to manage the references and to remove duplicates. Relevant data from selected articles will be extracted using a standardized data extraction form.

Results: A total of 164 potential manuscripts were retrieved. Data extraction is currently in progress and completion is expected by the end of 2022.

Conclusions: Our scoping review will summarize the current state of research in this field and provide comprehensive information regarding STH infections in Malaysia for future reference.

Trial registration: National Medical Research Register NMRR-20-2889-54348; https://nmrr.gov.my/research-directory/e52ea778-d31c-4eb4-9163-a45bb3680bbf.

International registered report identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/36077.

Keywords: Malaysia; PRISMA-ScR; STH; helminth; soil-transmitted helminth; tropical disease.

©Muhammad Faiz Mohd Hisham, Fazila Haryati Ahmad, Hasmah Mohamed Haris, Noor Aliza Lodz, Norzawati Yoep, Eida Nurhadzira Muhammad, Rafidah Ali, Nor Asiah Muhamad. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 05.10.2022.