A Scoping Review Protocol to Explore the Growing Burden of NCDs in South Africa

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) constitute a major public health challenge globally. The increase in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases in South Africa continues to impact mortality and morbidity, necessitating the need to explore the growing burden of NCDs and their implications for public health. NCDs like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and respiratory diseases are leading causes of death and disability, with various factors ranging from modifiable lifestyle choices, environmental factors, and socioeconomic differences. Therefore, this review will explore and describe the prevalence of NCDs, associated risk factors, and the impact on the South African public healthcare system to inform the development of targeted public health policies and interventions for NCDs in South Africa to achieve a reduction in the burden of NCDs in South Africa. The five-step review described by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review methodology: (1) determining the research question, (2) search strategy, (3) inclusion criteria, (4) data extraction, and (5) analysis and presentation of the results, will be used. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and the Meta-Analysis for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) will be used as a guide for this scoping review protocol. The selection of studies for the review is anticipated to be completed within 10 weeks, from 15 October to 31 December 2025. Literature search will be conducted across multiple electronic databases: PubMed, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar, reflecting empirical evidence as well as grey literature. The literature search timeline is between 2005 and 2025. The eligibility of articles will be determined using a two-stage screening process. All articles will be individually assessed for eligibility by two reviewers, while any disagreements will be resolved by a third reviewer. The extracted data from eligible articles will be synthesized and presented using tables, charts, graphs, and narrative summaries.