Abstract:
Introduction Research has increasingly underscored the
impact of factors such as socioeconomic status, education,
healthcare access, housing and environmental conditions
in shaping population health outcomes. These factors,
collectively called social determinants of health (SDOH),
provide crucial context for understanding drivers of health
outcomes. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the study of SDOH
is critical due to the region’s unique sociocultural and
economic conditions. Understanding how SDOH interacts
with health systems and capturing SDOH in data is crucial
for informing modelling efforts and policies improving
population health more effectively. This scoping review
aims to map the types of data used to capture SDOH in
research conducted in SSA, to identify research gaps and
to summarise key findings.
Methods This scoping review will follow the Arksey and
O’Malley methodological framework, enhanced by Levac
et al, providing best practices for identifying, selecting and
analysing eligible studies. Key steps include (1) identifying
the research question, (2) identifying relevant studies,
(3) selecting eligible studies via a locally curated search,
(4) extracting information, (5) collating, summarising and
reporting results and (6) consultation with stakeholders.
Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not
required, as this review relies solely on published
literature. Findings will be disseminated across academic
channels (journals, conferences) and through targeted
stakeholder engagement efforts, such as policy briefs
and public health workshops, to reach policymakers,
healthcare practitioners and community health
organisations. This dissemination strategy aims to inform
health policy and drive programme development in SSA
