Prevalence and correlates of pre-diabetes in adults of mixed ethnicities in the South African population: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

INTRODUCTION: Pre-diabetes is a metabolic condition characterised by moderate glycaemic dysregulation and is a front-line risk factor to multiple metabolic complications such as overt diabetes. To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first systematic review and meta-analysis that focuses on generating a comprehensive pooling of studies that report on the pre-diabetes prevalence in South Africa. Therefore, the review’s purpose will be to screen and elect reports that can be used to synthesise and provide the best estimate prevalence and correlate of pre-diabetes in the South African population. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: To determine the prevalence and correlates of pre-diabetes in South African, we will search PubMed, Embase and African Journal online for published or unpublished studies reporting the prevalence of pre-diabetes in South Africa starting from the year 2000 to 2020. Studies will be assessed for eligibility by checking if they meet the inclusion criteria. Eligible studies will undergo data extraction and risk of bias assessment. We will perform a subgroup analysis to detect probable causes of heterogeneity. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The review will not require ethics clearance because non-identifiable data will be used. The review outcomes will give more insight into the current burden that pre-diabetes has in South Africa. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020182430.