Factors associated with HIV acquisition in the context of humanitarian crises: a scoping review protocol

The objective of this scoping review is to describe the global evidence on factors associated with HIV acquisition among individuals affected by humanitarian crises.

Humanitarian crises are described as an event or series of events originating from natural causes or human intervention that represent a critical threat to the health, safety, security, and well-being of a community. Humanitarian crises have generated a continued rise in the number of displaced persons worldwide. This forcible displacement may increase the risk of acquiring HIV among the affected populations through poverty, food insecurity, social instability, and lack of access to health services during and after a crisis. Understanding factors that may contribute to HIV acquisition among these populations will allow stakeholders to better provide HIV prevention services and programs in humanitarian settings and to prioritize research efforts.

This review will consider studies that investigate factors associated with HIV acquisition in populations affected by humanitarian crises caused by natural disasters and human-made complex emergencies. Studies of any design or methodology that contain empirical data will be eligible for inclusion.

The proposed review will be conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health, Scopus, and gray literature will be systematically searched. Studies published in English from 1990 will be included. Titles and abstracts of identified citations will be screened independently and assessed for eligibility by two authors. Potentially relevant full-text studies and data will be extracted using a data extraction form. Data will be presented in tabular form, figures, and a narrative summary.