Determinants of Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for an Umbrella Review

Overview

Journal JMIR Res Protoc

Publisher JMIR Publications

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2023 Nov 17

PMID 37976499

Authors

Mona Ziba Ghadirian

Khalid Omer

Anne Cockcroft

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Adolescents are a large proportion of the population in sub-Saharan Africa and face multiple risks to their health and well-being. Prior systematic reviews have focused on specific adolescent sexual and reproductive health outcomes such as teen pregnancies, HIV/AIDS, and sexually transmitted diseases. A comprehensive synthesis of the influential factors that shape different aspects of adolescent sexual and reproductive health can inform health policy and program development for this important segment of the population.

Objective: This paper presents the protocol for an umbrella review that aims to synthesize the existing knowledge in the literature on the associations among individual, family, and societal factors and sexual and reproductive health outcomes among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: We will include systematic reviews that identify factors associated with sexual and reproductive health outcomes among adolescents, 10-19 years of age, in sub-Saharan Africa. Reviews can include quantitative and qualitative primary studies with or without meta-analysis. Academic and gray literature searches will identify reviews from PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, ProQuest, Google, and Google Scholar. Two reviewers (MZG and KO) will independently carry out title, abstract, and full text screening, assess methodological quality, and extract data. We will assess the methodological quality of the included studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute standard forms. The review will present findings in narrative form and in tables and will follow PRISMA (the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) reporting guidelines.

Results: A preliminary search in April 2023 found 1351 articles to be screened.

Conclusions: This umbrella review will permit a comprehensive and high-level understanding of the various factors that influence adolescent sexual and reproductive health in sub-Saharan Africa.

Trial Registration: PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42023394512; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=394512.

International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/51278.

References

. Population-based rates, timing, and causes of maternal deaths, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa: a multi-country prospective cohort study. Lancet Glob Health. 2018; 6(12):e1297-e1308. PMC: 6227247. DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30385-1. View

Nyblade L, Stockton M, Nyato D, Wamoyi J . Perceived, anticipated and experienced stigma: exploring manifestations and implications for young people's sexual and reproductive health and access to care in North-Western Tanzania. Cult Health Sex. 2017; 19(10):1092-1107. DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2017.1293844. View

Blanc A, Tsui A, Croft T, Trevitt J . Patterns and trends in adolescents' contraceptive use and discontinuation in developing countries and comparisons with adult women. Int Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2009; 35(2):63-71. DOI: 10.1363/ipsrh.35.063.09. View

Cockcroft A, Omer K, Gidado Y, Mohammed R, Belaid L, Ansari U . Impact-Oriented Dialogue for Culturally Safe Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health in Bauchi State, Nigeria: Protocol for a Codesigned Pragmatic Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2022; 11(3):e36060. PMC: 8965671. DOI: 10.2196/36060. View

Moher D, Shamseer L, Clarke M, Ghersi D, Liberati A, Petticrew M . Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement. Syst Rev. 2015; 4:1. PMC: 4320440. DOI: 10.1186/2046-4053-4-1. View

Kassa G, Arowojolu A, Odukogbe A, Yalew A . Prevalence and determinants of adolescent pregnancy in Africa: a systematic review and Meta-analysis. Reprod Health. 2018; 15(1):195. PMC: 6267053. DOI: 10.1186/s12978-018-0640-2. View

Salam R, Faqqah A, Sajjad N, Lassi Z, Das J, Kaufman M . Improving Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Systematic Review of Potential Interventions. J Adolesc Health. 2016; 59(4S):S11-S28. PMC: 5026684. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.05.022. View

Finlay J, Assefa N, Mwanyika-Sando M, Dessie Y, Harling G, Njau T . Sexual and reproductive health knowledge among adolescents in eight sites across sub-Saharan Africa. Trop Med Int Health. 2019; 25(1):44-53. PMC: 7612914. DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13332. View

Wamoyi J, Stobeanau K, Bobrova N, Abramsky T, Watts C . Transactional sex and risk for HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Int AIDS Soc. 2016; 19(1):20992. PMC: 5095351. DOI: 10.7448/IAS.19.1.20992. View

10.

Yaya S, Odusina E, Bishwajit G . Prevalence of child marriage and its impact on fertility outcomes in 34 sub-Saharan African countries. BMC Int Health Hum Rights. 2019; 19(1):33. PMC: 6924035. DOI: 10.1186/s12914-019-0219-1. View

11.

Ahinkorah B, Kang M, Perry L, Brooks F, Hayen A . Prevalence of first adolescent pregnancy and its associated factors in sub-Saharan Africa: A multi-country analysis. PLoS One. 2021; 16(2):e0246308. PMC: 7861528. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246308. View

12.

Dadzie L, Agbaglo E, Okyere J, Aboagye R, Arthur-Holmes F, Seidu A . Self-reported sexually transmitted infections among adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa. Int Health. 2022; 14(6):545-553. PMC: 9623488. DOI: 10.1093/inthealth/ihab088. View

13.

Stoebenau K, Heise L, Wamoyi J, Bobrova N . Revisiting the understanding of "transactional sex" in sub-Saharan Africa: A review and synthesis of the literature. Soc Sci Med. 2016; 168:186-197. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.09.023. View

14.

Bain L, Amu H, Tarkang E . Barriers and motivators of contraceptive use among young people in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review of qualitative studies. PLoS One. 2021; 16(6):e0252745. PMC: 8177623. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252745. View

15.

Yakubu I, Salisu W . Determinants of adolescent pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review. Reprod Health. 2018; 15(1):15. PMC: 5787272. DOI: 10.1186/s12978-018-0460-4. View

16.

Bankole A, Biddlecom A, Guiella G, Singh S, Zulu E . Sexual behavior, knowledge and information sources of very young adolescents in four sub-Saharan African countries. Afr J Reprod Health. 2008; 11(3):28-43. PMC: 2367131. View

17.

Liang M, Simelane S, Fortuny Fillo G, Chalasani S, Weny K, Salazar Canelos P . The State of Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health. J Adolesc Health. 2019; 65(6S):S3-S15. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.09.015. View

18.

Grant M, Booth A . A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Info Libr J. 2009; 26(2):91-108. DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x. View

19.

Melesse D, Mutua M, Choudhury A, Wado Y, Faye C, Neal S . Adolescent sexual and reproductive health in sub-Saharan Africa: who is left behind?. BMJ Glob Health. 2020; 5(1):e002231. PMC: 7042602. DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002231. View