Methodology and reporting quality of 544 studies related to ageing: a continued discussion in setting priorities for ageing research in Africa

Abstract

Background The quality assessment provides information on the overall strength of evidence and methodological quality of a research design, highlighting the level of confidence the reader should place on the findings for decision making. This paper aimed to assess the quality (methodology and quality of reporting) of ageing studies in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Method This paper is the second of a Four-Part Series paper of a previous systematic mapping review of peer-reviewed literature on ageing studies conducted in SSA. We updated the literature search to include additional 32 articles, a total of 544 articles included in this paper. Downs & Black checklist, Case Report guidelines checklist, the 45-items Lundgren et al. checklist, and the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool were used to assess the methodological quality of quantitative, case reports, qualitative, and mixed-method studies. Quality assessment was piloted and conducted in pairs for each study type. Depending on the checklist, each study was classified as excellent, good, fair, or poor. Result Of the 544 articles, we performed the quality assessment of a total of 451 quantitative studies [Randomized control trials (RCTs) and pre-post (n=15), longitudinal (n=122), case-control (n=15) and cross-sectional (n=300); 4 case reports, 74 qualitative and 15 mixed-method studies. Only 20.4% (n=111) articles were of high quality [one RCT, 27 longitudinal, 4 case-control, 48 cross-sectional studies, 19 qualitative, and 12 mixed-method studies]. The remaining 433 were rated as moderate quality (n=292, 53.7%), fair quality (n = 96, 17.7%) and poor quality (n = 45, 8.2%). Most (80%) quantitative articles’ sample size is small, resulting in insufficient power to detect a clinically or significant important effect. Three-quarter (75%) of the qualitative studies did not report their research team characteristics and a reflexivity component of the 45-items Lundgren et al. checklist. Mixed-method studies with low quality did not report the qualitative studies properly. Conclusion We conclude that the methodological and quality reporting of published studies on ageing in SSA show variable quality, albeit primarily moderate quality, against high quality. Studies with a large sample size are recommended, and qualitative researchers should provide a section on research team members’ characteristics and reflexivity in their paper or as an appendix.

Longitudinal Studies of Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa: Review, Limitations, and Recommendations in Preparation of Projected Aging Population

“…This is the third of a four-part series that aims to set priorities for aging research and practice in SSA. In the first paper, Kalu et al (2021) , provided an overview of the types and trends of aging research in the SSA context, whereas the second paper focused on the quality of reporting and methodology employed in aging research ( Kalu et al, 2022 ). A detailed description of the methodology and procedure used in the original review has been published elsewhere ( Kalu et al, 2021 ).…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review of longitudinal studies on aging across the SSA region, while previous reviews have mapped aging studies in SSA, with one identifying gaps and offering recommendations ( Kalu et al, 2021 ), and the other assessing the quality of reporting and methodology ( Kalu et al, 2022 ). This current study explores longitudinal aging studies as against other forms of studies such as randomized control trials because longitudinal aging studies allow us to explore relative causality and temporal understanding (tracking changes), which are associated with the aging process and have a critical role to play in policy development, evaluation, and identification of risk factors associated with aging.…”

Developing a Standardized Questionnaire for Measuring Older Adult’s Health and Well-Being in Kenya

“…The bulk of the studies were cross-sectional involving small nonrepresentative samples whereas longitudinal studies were much fewer albeit still marred by a lack of large-scale representative samples. Overall, the review rated the methodological and reporting rigor of the studies to be of low to moderate quality particularly for qualitative studies highlighting the need for standardization in reporting and comparability of measures and indicators across studies and between countries ( Kalu et al, 2022 ).…”

Building consensus on priority areas for Sub-Saharan Africa’s ageing population research: An e-Delphi study protocol

“…This research will build on the findings of our previous studies [ 3 , 13 , 17 ]. This study will invite panellists, including researchers, policymakers, practitioners, older adults, and family caregivers, to participate in an international e-Delphi that aims to (a) identify and prioritise aging research topic areas and methodologies relevant to the SSA, (b) identify opportunities and challenges researchers faced in conducting ageing research in SSA, and (c) explore possible solutions to tackle the challenges researchers faced in conducting ageing research in SSA.…”

“…Similarly, Kalu et al conducted a systematic mapping review involving 512 ageing studies in SSA which showed that most studies focused on non-communicable diseases and HIV/AIDs, Cancer, and physical functioning [see [ 3 ] for full details]. An update study conducted by Kalu et al [ 13 ] assessed the quality of 544 articles with 25.9% being rated as fair or poor-quality. The authors suggested the need to diversify, prioritize, and improve the quality of ageing research in SSA.…”