From beliefs to behaviour: a scoping review of the Health Belief Model and adherence to non-invasive positive pressure ventilation in obstructive sleep apnoea — study protocol

Abstract

This is the protocol for a scoping review that will map how the Health Belief Model (HBM) has been applied to adults with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) receiving non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (CPAP/APAP/BiPAP), and how its constructs have been measured in relation to treatment acceptance and adherence. The review follows JBI methodology for scoping reviews and will be reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Nine databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, CBM, CNKI, Wanfang Data and VIP) were searched from inception to 16 September 2026, complemented by backward and forward citation searching. Screening and data charting were carried out by one reviewer. To verify the reproducibility of the screening decisions, a second reviewer, blinded to the first reviewer's decisions, retrospectively re-screened all records remaining after de-duplication; agreement was quantified as a percentage and by Cohen's kappa, and disagreements were resolved by discussion, with unresolved cases adjudicated by the corresponding author. Results will be summarised descriptively, with the frequency with which each of the six HBM constructs has been measured presented as the primary organising framework. The protocol was retrospectively registered on OSF; searching and screening were completed before registration, as stated in Section12.