School reopening and risks accelerating the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review
Summary: Background: One of the most recent concerns of this pandemic regards the role of schools reopening in the transmission, as well as the impact of keeping schools closure. While schools reopening seems pivotal to childrens, adolescents, and adults education and mental health, so far the literature has not systematically reached consensus whether to recommend the return to schools in a way that would be safe for students and staff.
Objective: To synthesize and critically evaluate the scientific evidence on the potential risk of accelerating the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic within children, adolescents, young adults, and adults with schools reopening.
Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis protocol was elaborated following the PRISMA-P. We will include all observational study designs, which report on potential risk of accelerating the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic with the school reopening. Electronic databases included were MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, SCOPUS and CNKI. Additional sources will be also retrieved, including Clinical trials.gov-NIH, The British Library, Pro Quest Dissertations Database, Public Health Gray Literature Sources and Health Evidence, Google Scholar, and pre-prints [medRXiv]. No restriction to language or date will be used as search strategy. Two investigators will select studies, perform data extraction, as well as perform a critical appraisal of the risk of bias and overall quality of the selected observational studies, based on their designs in an independently manner. The heterogeneity among the studies will be assessed using I2 statistic. According to I2 statistic, we will verify whether a meta-analysis is feasible. If the meta-analysis is possible, fixed-effects model analysis will be performed for small I2; otherwise, a random-effect model analysis will be carried out. For data analysis, the calculation of the pooled effect estimates will consider a 95% CI and alpha will be set in 0.05 using R statistical software, v.4.0.4. In addition, we will rate the certainty of evidence based on Cochrane methods and according to the GRADE.
PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021265283.
Starting date: 01/06/2021
Deadline (months): 24
Participants:
Role |
Name |
|---|---|
| Coordinator * | LUÍS CARLOS LOPES JÚNIOR |
| Researcher * | ETHEL LEONOR NOIA MACIEL |
| Student Doctorate * | PRISCILA CARMINATI SIQUEIRA |
