Experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Rural Nigeria: A Scoping Review of the Literature Contextualized With Local Knowledge Using Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping.

AimCollate and summarise published evidence of the non-clinical effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in rural Nigeria and compare the findings with community stakeholder experiences.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Scopus, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) for peer-reviewed papers published up to January 2024. Included studies used quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods to examine the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of rural Nigerians. Two reviewers conducted title, abstract, and full-text screening independently. We used narrative descriptions and fuzzy cognitive maps to summarise the findings of the review and compared the maps with those previously created by stakeholders in rural communities in Bauchi State, rural Nigeria.ResultsPoverty, hunger and lack of food, and stress and mental health problems were leading themes in both the literature and stakeholder maps. Stakeholder maps highlighted job loss and household conflicts. These topics were rarely explored in the literature, which emphasized reduced health services.ConclusionThis review and stakeholder perspectives confirm the importance of non-clinical impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in rural Nigeria. Some issues highlighted by local community stakeholders were absent in the literature. Contextualizing published research with local experience provides specific insights to inform recovery policies.