Under-Five Mortality in Iraq: A Scoping Review of Causes, Contributing Factors, Health System Challenges, and Evidence from Selected Conflict-Affected Settings

This project contains the study protocol for a scoping review examining the causes, contributing factors, and health system-related challenges associated with under-five child mortality in Iraq and similar conflict-affected settings. The review follows PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines and aims to map existing evidence from 1999-2025 to inform future research and policy interventions. Research Question: What is the existing evidence on the causes, contributing factors, and health system-related challenges associated with under-five child mortality in Iraq and similar conflict-affected settings? The protocol includes comprehensive search strategies across multiple databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, WHO/UNICEF reports, and local Iraqi repositories), dual independent screening procedures, and standardized data extraction methods. This protocol is shared publicly to enhance transparency, reproducibility, and scientific integrity. Complete study results and data will be made available upon manuscript publication.