Table 1

Study selection: inclusion and exclusion criteria

PICOS strategyInclusion criteriaExclusion criteria
Population
  • CHWs based in community setting and under public health systems.

  • CHWs in countries of sub-Saharan Africa, which includes countries in Eastern, Central, Western and Southern regions of African continents.

  • CHWs in clinical health setting.

  • Studies reporting on other health workers’ perspective like nurses, midwiferies, etc.

  • CHW-based research conducted outside of SSA countries.

Intervention
  • No specific intervention.

  • Eligible studies involved different engagement of CHWs to enhance MCH programmes through health promotion and education, information dissemination, immunisation, home visit, follow-up, linkage/referral and delivery services and the like.

  • CHWs programme of MCH include family planning, antenatal care, delivery, postnatal care, breast feeding, immunisation/vaccination and newborn services for mothers and under-five children in public health system in SSA.

  • Other CHWs activities or non-MCH programme like studies on environmental health, malaria, sanitation and the like.

  • CHWs research based not in a community setting, studies in clinical setting.

Comparison
  • There was no comparison group for this study.

  • No comparison.

Outcome
  • CHWs’ perceived barriers to and facilitators of effectiveness on CHWs/MCH.

  • Multilevel determinants of CHWs’ engagement to ensure MCH equity and a resilient community health system.

  • Perceived barriers to and facilitators of effectiveness of CHWs on their non-MCH activities.

Study design
  • Qualitative and mixed-method studies based on lived experience of CHWs.

  • The publication types include peer-reviewed primary research studies, and grey literature documents such as institutional reports, working papers and theses and dissertations.

  • Published in English and published between January 2000 and September 2021in SSA were considered.

  • Quantitative studies.

  • Articles summaries, commentaries, conference abstract only and/or lack retrievable full text.

  • Studies conducted before January 2000 and published in languages other than English language.

  • CHWs, community health workers; MCH, maternal and child health; SSA, sub-Saharan Africa .