Adolescent sexual health interventions that include very young adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review protocol

Wanangwa Chimwaza Manda; Yandisa Sikweyiya; Blessings Nyasilia Kaunda-Khangamwa; Apatsa Selemani; Scholastica Jimu; Mphatso Kamndaya

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063343

Adolescent sexual health interventions that include very young adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review protocol

BMJ Open. 2022 Nov 15;12(11):e063343. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063343.

Authors

Wanangwa Chimwaza Manda^{1

2}, Yandisa Sikweyiya^{3

4}, Blessings Nyasilia Kaunda-Khangamwa⁵, Apatsa Selemani², Scholastica Jimu⁶, Mphatso Kamndaya⁷

Affiliations

¹ Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi wmanda@cartafrica.org.
² Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
³ Gender & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa.
⁴ School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁵ Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi.
⁶ Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Benin, Benin City, UK.
⁷ Applied Sciences, Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi.

Abstract

Introduction: Targeting very young adolescents (VYAs) with sexual health (SH) interventions is increasingly being recognised as one of the strategies for addressing SH challenges in late adolescence. However, there is a dearth of literature regarding SH interventions implemented specifically for VYAs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This scoping review aims to provide a summary of documented evidence on SH interventions that include VYAs in SSA, identify gaps in existing interventions and provide recommendations for further programmatic work on SH for VYAs.

Methods and analysis: The methods for this scoping review will be guided by the framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley and further enhanced by Levac et al and the Joanna Briggs Institute. We will search electronic databases: Popline, EMBASE, PubMed, CINAHL, Dimensions, African Journals Online (AJOL) and specific summon country-specific search. We will include published studies from SSA and only adolescent SH interventions published from the year 2003-2022. Furthermore, we will include programmatic and intervention literature that has not been published in peer-reviewed articles. The data will be charted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Review. The data will then be collated and summarised.

Ethics and dissemination: The scoping review methodology involves putting together information from articles or grey literature that is either publicly available or shared by the authors, this study does not require ethical approval. Findings of this scoping review will be published in a scientific journal and presented at relevant scientific fora and conferences. This scoping review will provide a comprehensive overview of the evidence base of adolescent SH interventions for VYAs in SSA and will highlight critical gaps in the existing interventions and areas where further programmatic work is needed for VYAs in SSA.

Registration: https://archive.org/details/osf-registrations-gn538-v1.

Keywords: Child & adolescent psychiatry; HIV & AIDS; PUBLIC HEALTH.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adolescent Health
Africa South of the Sahara
Humans
Peer Review
Research Design
Sexual Behavior
Sexual Health*
Systematic Reviews as Topic