Cognition, physical function, and life purpose in the rural elderly population: A systematic review protocol.

We will include cross-sectional studies published until April 2023 found in 8 databases: Embase, MEDLINE, LILACS, PsycINFO, Scopus, SciELO, and Web of Science. Ryyan software will be used for the first selection, and the Observational Study Quality Evaluation (OSQE) will assess methodological quality and risk of bias. Primary analysis will involve titles and abstracts using MeSH descriptors such as "Physical functioning," "Cognition," "Cognitive function," "Life purpose," "Elderly," "Older," "Rural aging," "Rural population," "Communities, rural," "Distribution, rural spatial," "Medium communities," "Rural settlement," "Small community." If necessary, secondary analysis will include a complete reading of selected articles by two blinded reviewers, confirmed by a third person. Publication bias will be assessed using cross-sectional analytical study quality. Sensitivity analyses will identify manuscripts significantly influencing combined prevalence of endpoints.