Research has increasingly underscored the impact of factors such as socioeconomic status, education, healthcare access, housing and environmental conditions in shaping population health outcomes. These factors, collectively called social determinants of health (SDOH), provide crucial context for understanding drivers of health outcomes. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the study of SDOH is critical due to the region’s unique sociocultural and economic conditions. Understanding how SDOH interacts with health systems and capturing SDOH in data is crucial for informing modelling efforts and policies improving population health more effectively. This scoping review aims to map the types of data used to capture SDOH in research conducted in SSA, to identify research gaps and to summarise key findings.

This scoping review will follow the Arksey and O’Malley methodological framework, enhanced by Levac et al, providing best practices for identifying, selecting and analysing eligible studies. Key steps include (1) identifying the research question, (2) identifying relevant studies, (3) selecting eligible studies via a locally curated search, (4) extracting information, (5) collating, summarising and reporting results and (6) consultation with stakeholders.

Ethical approval is not required, as this review relies solely on published literature. Findings will be disseminated across academic channels (journals, conferences) and through targeted stakeholder engagement efforts, such as policy briefs and public health workshops, to reach policymakers, healthcare practitioners and community health organisations. This dissemination strategy aims to inform health policy and drive programme development in SSA.

The study sought to understand the characteristics of community deaths due to cholera in Zambia. We sought to examine the drivers of mortality from cholera among communities in Zambia’s 2023–2024 outbreak.

This is a descriptive study of the characteristics of community deaths due to cholera in three provinces in Zambia. Routine surveillance data collected between 14 October 2023 and 16 April 2024, comprising a national line list of cholera deaths, were used for this study.

178 participants were included in the study and completed it. All community deaths on the line list were eligible for inclusion. This comprised: deceased individuals whose death was associated with cholera or who met the national cholera case definition (suspected or confirmed); death occurring in the community, en route or on arrival to a health facility prior to admission; and death must have occurred between 14 October 2023 and 16 April 2024. Deceased individuals whose family members could not be traced or did not consent to participate in the interview were excluded.

The primary outcome was identifying characteristics of cholera-related community deaths. There were no secondary outcomes measured.

Among 178 community deaths due to cholera, the majority were males (61.8%), with the highest mortality in adults aged 35–49 years (22.5%). Over half of the deaths occurred on arrival at healthcare facilities due to delays influenced by socioeconomic barriers. Comorbidities such as HIV/AIDS and hypertension were present in 23% of cases.

The study found that males, death on arrival at healthcare facilities, delays in seeking healthcare and comorbidities such as HIV/AIDS and hypertension were more frequently observed among those who died due to cholera in the community. These findings highlight the need for enhanced early care-seeking behaviours, improved access to timely treatment and targeted interventions for individuals with comorbidities to potentially reduce cholera mortality.