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HEI publishes protocol for a scoping review on health effects of air pollution in West Africa
Across much of West Africa, exposure to air pollution is the second leading risk factor for death. In 2023 alone, an estimated 392,000 deaths in the West African region were attributed to outdoor and household air pollution. To synthesize the available literature on health effects of air pollution across the region, HEI has launched a scoping review of the current literature and evidence of air pollution and health in the region.
The scoping review is designed to collect and document available evidence on health effects of air pollution in West Africa to inform researchers, policymakers, and current and potential funders on the extent of evidence available and to identify research gaps and opportunities for future research. For the purposes of this review, West Africa refers to: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. An expert panel including experts in air quality monitoring, exposure assessment, epidemiology and policy, has been appointed to lead the review, and will work in partnership with the HEI Global Initiatives team.
The panel has issued the review protocol describing the objectives for the review, search strategy and inclusion and exclusion criteria. The protocol focuses on the general population in the sixteen West African countries listed above, their exposure to criteria air pollutants and the associations with a broad range of health outcomes.
HEI expects to publish findings in the form of a narrative report and a searchable, dynamic database in May 2027.
HEI previously conducted a similar exercise focusing on eight countries in East Africa with studies added to the Literature Database for Air Pollution and Health Work in East Africa (LiNDA HEWA).
For more information, please contact Victor Nthusi.
