Lay health worker-delivered and technology-based interventions for sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and young adults in low- and middle-income countries: protocol for a scoping review

Background Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are at high risk of harmful sexual and reproductive health (SRH) practices due to limited knowledge, low availability or acceptability of modern contraceptives, gender inequality and cultural practices like ch...

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Main Authors: David Guwatudde, Till Bärnighausen, Ina Danquah, Yemane Berhane, Wafaie Fawzi, Ali Sie, Mosa Moshabela, Shannon McMahon, Jacob Burns, Justine Bukenya, Michael Laxy, Japhet Killewo, Abbas Ismail, Shraddha Bajaria, Amani Tinkasimile, Adi Lukas Kurniawan, Sachin Shinde, Christine Neumann, Mary Mwanyika Sando, Ayoade Oduola, Adom Manu, Matthias Kern, Joy Mauti, Mashavu Yussuf, Innocent Yusufu, Benjamin Bosompim, Dorit Ann, Nolwazi Dlamini, Sarah Nabukeera, Sphindile Machanyangwa, Dagmawit Tewahido, Said Ali Vuai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-08-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/8/e094209.full
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author David Guwatudde
Till Bärnighausen
Ina Danquah
Yemane Berhane
Wafaie Fawzi
Ali Sie
Mosa Moshabela
Shannon McMahon
Jacob Burns
Justine Bukenya
Michael Laxy
Japhet Killewo
Abbas Ismail
Shraddha Bajaria
Amani Tinkasimile
Adi Lukas Kurniawan
Sachin Shinde
Christine Neumann
Mary Mwanyika Sando
Ayoade Oduola
Adom Manu
Matthias Kern
Joy Mauti
Mashavu Yussuf
Innocent Yusufu
Benjamin Bosompim
Dorit Ann
Nolwazi Dlamini
Sarah Nabukeera
Sphindile Machanyangwa
Dagmawit Tewahido
Said Ali Vuai
author_facet David Guwatudde
Till Bärnighausen
Ina Danquah
Yemane Berhane
Wafaie Fawzi
Ali Sie
Mosa Moshabela
Shannon McMahon
Jacob Burns
Justine Bukenya
Michael Laxy
Japhet Killewo
Abbas Ismail
Shraddha Bajaria
Amani Tinkasimile
Adi Lukas Kurniawan
Sachin Shinde
Christine Neumann
Mary Mwanyika Sando
Ayoade Oduola
Adom Manu
Matthias Kern
Joy Mauti
Mashavu Yussuf
Innocent Yusufu
Benjamin Bosompim
Dorit Ann
Nolwazi Dlamini
Sarah Nabukeera
Sphindile Machanyangwa
Dagmawit Tewahido
Said Ali Vuai
collection DOAJ
description Background Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are at high risk of harmful sexual and reproductive health (SRH) practices due to limited knowledge, low availability or acceptability of modern contraceptives, gender inequality and cultural practices like child marriage. Preventive and educational interventions by lay health workers or through technological means are a cost-effective and scalable solution. Unfortunately, too little is currently known about the scope, content and conditions of the effectiveness and sustainability of these approaches and synthetic evidence on this topic is scarce. To help fill this knowledge gap and to identify where further research is needed, we will conduct a scoping review of technology-based or lay health-worker delivered preventive and educational SRH interventions targeting AYAs in LMICs. This information is valuable to both policymakers and researchers as it provides a synthesis of existing interventions, highlights best practices for their implementation and identifies potential avenues for future research.Methods This review will include studies on SRH preventive and educational interventions targeting AYAs aged 10–24 years in LMICs. It encompasses interventions delivered by lay health workers or via technological means, assessing various outcomes including but not limited to SRH literacy, sexual risk behaviours, pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and gender-based violence. Key databases, including PubMed via MEDLINE and Embase, will be searched from 1 January 2000 up to 23 January 2024, using a comprehensive search strategy. Screening will be conducted using Covidence software. Data extraction will cover study details, methods, intervention strategies, outcomes and findings. A narrative synthesis will be conducted following synthesis without meta-analysis guidelines.Ethics and dissemination The scope of this scoping review is limited to publicly accessible databases that do not require prior ethical approval for access. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal publications, as well as presentations at national and international conferences and stakeholder meetings in LMICs.Scoping review registration The final protocol is prospectively registered with the Open Science Framework on 7 May 2024 (osf.io/vna2z).
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spelling doaj-art-eca208fd80294a54a8dc6a576f5e378a2025-08-20T03:41:05ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-08-0115810.1136/bmjopen-2024-094209Lay health worker-delivered and technology-based interventions for sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and young adults in low- and middle-income countries: protocol for a scoping review 0David GuwatuddeTill BärnighausenIna DanquahYemane BerhaneWafaie FawziAli SieMosa MoshabelaShannon McMahonJacob BurnsJustine Bukenya1Michael LaxyJaphet KillewoAbbas IsmailShraddha BajariaAmani TinkasimileAdi Lukas Kurniawan2Sachin Shinde3Christine Neumann4Mary Mwanyika SandoAyoade OduolaAdom ManuMatthias Kern5Joy MautiMashavu YussufInnocent YusufuBenjamin Bosompim6Dorit Ann7Nolwazi Dlamini8Sarah Nabukeera9Sphindile Machanyangwa10Dagmawit Tewahido11Said Ali Vuai8 DASH, DASH, DASH, UK3 School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda1 Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany6 Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA1 Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany1 Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany1 Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany1 Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany2 Population Policy Promotion Unit, Department of Social Development (KZN), University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa3 School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda4 School of Nursing and Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa5 Nutrition and Behavioral Sciences Department, Addis Continental Institute of Public Health, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaBackground Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are at high risk of harmful sexual and reproductive health (SRH) practices due to limited knowledge, low availability or acceptability of modern contraceptives, gender inequality and cultural practices like child marriage. Preventive and educational interventions by lay health workers or through technological means are a cost-effective and scalable solution. Unfortunately, too little is currently known about the scope, content and conditions of the effectiveness and sustainability of these approaches and synthetic evidence on this topic is scarce. To help fill this knowledge gap and to identify where further research is needed, we will conduct a scoping review of technology-based or lay health-worker delivered preventive and educational SRH interventions targeting AYAs in LMICs. This information is valuable to both policymakers and researchers as it provides a synthesis of existing interventions, highlights best practices for their implementation and identifies potential avenues for future research.Methods This review will include studies on SRH preventive and educational interventions targeting AYAs aged 10–24 years in LMICs. It encompasses interventions delivered by lay health workers or via technological means, assessing various outcomes including but not limited to SRH literacy, sexual risk behaviours, pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and gender-based violence. Key databases, including PubMed via MEDLINE and Embase, will be searched from 1 January 2000 up to 23 January 2024, using a comprehensive search strategy. Screening will be conducted using Covidence software. Data extraction will cover study details, methods, intervention strategies, outcomes and findings. A narrative synthesis will be conducted following synthesis without meta-analysis guidelines.Ethics and dissemination The scope of this scoping review is limited to publicly accessible databases that do not require prior ethical approval for access. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal publications, as well as presentations at national and international conferences and stakeholder meetings in LMICs.Scoping review registration The final protocol is prospectively registered with the Open Science Framework on 7 May 2024 (osf.io/vna2z).https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/8/e094209.full
spellingShingle David Guwatudde
Till Bärnighausen
Ina Danquah
Yemane Berhane
Wafaie Fawzi
Ali Sie
Mosa Moshabela
Shannon McMahon
Jacob Burns
Justine Bukenya
Michael Laxy
Japhet Killewo
Abbas Ismail
Shraddha Bajaria
Amani Tinkasimile
Adi Lukas Kurniawan
Sachin Shinde
Christine Neumann
Mary Mwanyika Sando
Ayoade Oduola
Adom Manu
Matthias Kern
Joy Mauti
Mashavu Yussuf
Innocent Yusufu
Benjamin Bosompim
Dorit Ann
Nolwazi Dlamini
Sarah Nabukeera
Sphindile Machanyangwa
Dagmawit Tewahido
Said Ali Vuai
Lay health worker-delivered and technology-based interventions for sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and young adults in low- and middle-income countries: protocol for a scoping review
BMJ Open
title Lay health worker-delivered and technology-based interventions for sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and young adults in low- and middle-income countries: protocol for a scoping review
title_full Lay health worker-delivered and technology-based interventions for sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and young adults in low- and middle-income countries: protocol for a scoping review
title_fullStr Lay health worker-delivered and technology-based interventions for sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and young adults in low- and middle-income countries: protocol for a scoping review
title_full_unstemmed Lay health worker-delivered and technology-based interventions for sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and young adults in low- and middle-income countries: protocol for a scoping review
title_short Lay health worker-delivered and technology-based interventions for sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and young adults in low- and middle-income countries: protocol for a scoping review
title_sort lay health worker delivered and technology based interventions for sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and young adults in low and middle income countries protocol for a scoping review
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/8/e094209.full
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