Protocol: Scoping review of the association between complementary feeding, growth, and immune health in infants and toddlers—An EAACI guideline paper

The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) is currently developing guidelines on immunomodulation and nutrition. To inform these recommendations, a scoping review will be conducted to synthesize and map the available empirical evidence on how complementary feeding affects immune health in infants and toddlers to explore the association between complementary feeding during the first year of life and immune health outcomes in children up to 3 years of age. The scoping review will be conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis Scoping Review Extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. We have developed inclusion criteria using the PCC (Population, Concept and Context) format: the population will include healthy infants; the concept refers to specific factors related to introduction of complementary feeding; and the context will focus on studies conducted in settings representative of everyday nutrition and feeding practices for infants and toddlers. Evidence sources include systematic reviews. We will search in MEDLINE and Epistemonikos. Data will be extracted using a standardized form developed in REDCap, and the findings will be synthesized narratively. Only published literature will be included in this systematic review. Therefore, no ethical approval is required. The final review paper will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. OSF registration DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/T5F8.