JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Since the 1990s, urban agriculture (UA) has contributed to improving food security in low- and middle- income countries. Now, it is implemented as a multifunctional intervention that can influence various determinants of health (eg, food security, social relationships). Studies of interest stem from several research disciplines, use a wide range of methods, and show results that are sometimes inconsistent. Current studies have not summarized the overall effects of UA on health and its determinants.

Objective:

The objective of this protocol is to develop a research strategy for a scoping review that characterizes studies of beneficial and adverse impacts of UA on health and its determinants in a wide range of disciplines.

Methods:

Initially, with the help of a library specialist, a list of publications will be obtained through a systematic search of seven electronic bibliographic databases: PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE (Embase), CINAHL Plus with full text, Academic Search Premier (EBSCO host), CAB Abstract (Ovid), and Web of Science. Secondly, a three-step screening by two independent reviewers will lead to a list of relevant publications that meet eligibility and inclusion criteria. Finally, data on the bibliography, type of participants, type of study, results of study, and countries will be extracted from included articles and analyzed to be presented in a peer-reviewed article.

Results:

The findings are expected to identify research gaps that will inform needs for UA research in specific fields (eg, mental health), among certain population groups (eg, adults) or within different economic contexts (eg, low-, middle-, or high-income countries). Furthermore, the findings are expected to identify knowledge gaps and direct future research needs.

Conclusions:

This is an original study that seeks to integrate beneficial and adverse effects of UA on health at different level of influence (individuals, households, and community) in order to facilitate a better understanding of UA impacts. This protocol is a first of its kind and is expected to lead to a characterization of UA impacts based on sociodemographic profiles of participants and income levels of the studied countries. This will be relevant for policy makers and UA practitioners.