Mapping Digital and Multi-Omics Evidence on Stress and Cardiometabolic Health Trajectories Among Women in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review Protocol
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Study Protocol
Abstract: Review objectives: This scoping review aims to map the extent and nature of digital, biomarker, and multi-omics evidence on stress and cardiometabolic health trajectories among women in Sub-Saharan Africa, with particular attention to hypertension, glycemic and diabetes-related outcomes, adiposity and obesity, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, pregnancy-related cardiometabolic conditions, and cardiovascular sequelae. In addition, the review will consider patterns of vulnerability and potential indicators of cardiometabolic resilience, defined broadly as the capacity to maintain or regain health despite exposure to stressors, where these are explicitly examined or can be inferred from study findings. Cardiometabolic markers are being captured alongside real-time physiological and behavioral data through digital tools and wearable technologies, providing opportunities for early detection, continuous monitoring, and risk stratification of cardiometabolic disorders (CMDs). The review will further assess the degree of integration across these domains, while identifying key research gaps and emerging methodological trends. Methods: The review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and will be reported in accordance with the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews. A comprehensive search will be conducted across electronic databases, including MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Global Index Medicus, the Cochrane Library, and IEEE Xplore, as well as grey literature sources such as Google Scholar, World Health Organization Institutional Repository for Information Sharing, and the World Bank Open Knowledge Repository using pre-specified Boolean operators and keywords. Studies published in English from January 2015 to the date involving women aged 18 years and above in Sub-Saharan Africa that examine stress in relation to cardiometabolic outcomes using digital, biomarker, and/or multi-omics approaches will be included. Findings will be synthesized descriptively, with evidence stratified by cardiometabolic domain where feasible, including blood pressure and hypertension, glycemic and diabetes-related outcomes, adiposity and obesity, lipid-related outcomes, pregnancy-related cardiometabolic conditions, and broader cardiovascular outcomes.
Source: Preprints.org
Authors: Melaku Haile Likka, Sherilyn A. Francis, Mesfin Haile Kahissay, Wondmagegn Tamiru Tadesse, Abdu Mengesha, Makka Adam, Aliyi Hassen Jarso, Chad Evans, Jean Baptiste Nyandwi, Jean Paul Sinumvayo, Domina Asingizwe, Vedaste Kagisha, Marie Francoise Mukanyangezi, Lambert Nzungize, Alex Rugamba, Joyce Kamanzi, Leon Mutesa, Eulambius Mlugu, Raphael Sangeda, Ritah Mutagonda, Florence Urio, Alphonce Mareale, Herman A. Taylor, Erica L. Johnson, Tennille Leak-Johnson, Candice Alick, Luis Villacorta
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7167032689