Indigenous communities and influenza: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Indigenous Health

Background:

• Indigenous populations have historically faced disproportionate impacts from pandemics.
• Existing research highlights the vulnerability of specific Indigenous groups to infectious diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis on Indigenous groups and influenza.
• To synthesize historical data on influenza's impact on Indigenous populations across multiple pandemics and seasonal outbreaks.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across eight databases (Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Academic Search Ultimate, SocINDEX, ASSIA, Google Scholar).
• Inclusion of peer-reviewed original studies in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian.
• Narrative synthesis and meta-analytic strategies for summarizing results.

Main Results:

• No existing systematic review combines historical data on both seasonal and pandemic influenza impacts on Indigenous populations.
• This review will analyze data across Indigenous groups, countries, and historical periods.
• The study will assess the consistency of influenza risk across different populations, regions, and timeframes.

Conclusions:

• This comprehensive review will provide crucial insights into the long-term influenza risk for Indigenous populations.
• Understanding historical patterns is essential for informing current and future public health strategies for Indigenous communities.
• The findings will elucidate the varying impact of influenza strains on Indigenous health outcomes over time.