title: A protocol for a systematic literature review: comparing the impact of seasonal and meteorological parameters on acute respiratory infections in Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
abstract: Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, and are often linked to seasonal and/or meteorological conditions. Globally, Indigenous peoples may experience a different burden of ARI compared to non-Indigenous peoples. This protocol outlines our process for conducting a systematic review to investigate whether associations between ARI and seasonal or meteorological parameters differ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups residing in the same geographical region.
  
  
  
  A search string will be used to search PubMed®, CAB Abstracts/CAB Direct©, and Science Citation Index®aggregator databases. Articles will be screened using inclusion/exclusion criteria applied first at the title and abstract level, and then at the full article level by two independent reviewers. Articles maintained after full article screening will undergo risk of bias assessment and data will be extracted. Heterogeneity tests, meta-analysis, and forest and funnel plots will be used to synthesize the results of eligible studies.
  
  
  
  This protocol paper describes our systematic review methods to identify and analyze relevant ARI, season, and meteorological literature with robust reporting. The results are intended to improve our understanding of potential associations between seasonal and meteorological parameters and ARI and, if identified, whether this association varies by place, population, or other characteristics. The protocol is registered in the PROSPERO database (#38051).
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada. kbishop@uoguelph.ca.
authors.forename: Katherine E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Bishop-Williams
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.|Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Jan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sargeant
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Berrang-Ford
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Victoria L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Edge
authors.affiliation: Labrador Institute, Memorial University, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL, Canada.
authors.forename: Ashlee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cunsolo
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Sherilee L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Harper
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D044382:Population Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012621:Seasons; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic; D014887:Weather
keywords: Climate; Health; Indigenous; Meteorological parameters; Respiratory infections; Season; Systematic review protocol; Weather