Dataset Information

Using mobile phones to improve young people sexual and reproductive health in low and middle-income countries: a systematic review to identify barriers, facilitators, and range of mHealth solutions.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Globally, reproductive health programs have used mHealth to provide sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education and services to young people, through diverse communication channels. However, few attempts have been made to systematically review the mHealth programs targeted to improve young people SRH in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). This review aims to identify a range of different mHealth solutions that can be used for improving young people SRH in LMICs and highlight facilitators and barriers for adopting mHealth interventions designed to target SRH of young people.

Methods

Databases including PubMed, CINAHL Plus, Science Direct, Cochrane Central, and grey literature were searched between January 01, 2005 and March 31, 2020 to identify various types of mHealth interventions that are used to improve SRH services for young people in LMICs. Of 2948 titles screened after duplication, 374 potentially relevant abstracts were obtained. Out of 374 abstracts, 75 abstracts were shortlisted. Full text of 75 studies were reviewed using a pre-defined data extraction sheet. A total of 15 full-text studies were included in the final analysis.

Results

The final 15 studies were categorized into three main mHealth applications including client education and behavior change communication, data collection and reporting, and financial transactions and incentives. The most reported use of mHealth was for client education and behavior change communication [n?=?14, 93%] followed by financial transactions and incentives, and data collection and reporting Little evidence exists on other types of mHealth applications described in Labrique et al. framework. Included studies evaluated the impact of mHealth interventions on access to SRH services (n?=?9) and SRH outcomes (n?=?6). mHealth interventions in included studies addressed barriers of provider prejudice, stigmatization, discrimination, fear of refusal, lack of privacy, and confidentiality. The studies also identified barriers to uptake of mHealth interventions for SRH including decreased technological literacy, inferior network coverage, and lower linguistic competency.

Conclusion

The review provides detailed information about the implementation of mobile phones at different levels of the healthcare system for improving young people SRH outcomes. This systematic review recommends that barriers to uptake mHealth interventions be adequately addressed to increase the potential use of mobile phones for improving access to SRH awareness and services.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO CRD42018087585 (Feb 5, 2018).

SUBMITTER: Feroz AS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7811742 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Using mobile phones to improve young people sexual and reproductive health in low and middle-income countries: a systematic review to identify barriers, facilitators, and range of mHealth solutions.

Feroz Anam Shahil AS Ali Naureen Akber NA Khoja Adeel A Asad Armish A Saleem Sarah S

Reproductive health 20210116 1

<h4>Background</h4>Globally, reproductive health programs have used mHealth to provide sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education and services to young people, through diverse communication channels. However, few attempts have been made to systematically review the mHealth programs targeted to improve young people SRH in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). This review aims to identify a range of different mHealth solutions that can be used for improving young people SRH in LMICs and hig ...[more]

PMID: 33453723

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Project description:BackgroundDue to a growing reliance on mobile phone technology and decreasing mobile phone costs, the use of mobile phones is on the rise, especially among the youth population. Young people are responsive and enthusiastic to use novel approaches such as mHealth to access sexual and reproductive health information and services. Globally, reproductive health programs have used mHealth to provide sexual and reproductive health education and services to young people, through diverse communication channels. However, few attempts have been made to systematically review the mHealth programs for young people sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In addition, very little is known regarding the potential barriers and facilitators to the uptake of mobile phone interventions for improving young people SRH. This review aims to highlight facilitators and inhibitors to implementing and increasing uptake of mHealth interventions for young people's SRH, in LMICs specifically. Additionally, the review will identify the range of mHealth solutions which can be used for improving young people's SRH in LMICs.MethodsThe review will focus on comparing the various types of mHealth interventions/strategies that are used to improve young people's SRH services in LMICs. PubMed, CINAHL Plus, Science Direct, Cochrane, and gray literature will be explored using a detailed search strategy. The studies involving young people (adolescents and youth) aged 10-24 years to which mHealth interventions were delivered for improving their SRH outcomes will be included in this review. LMICs will be selected according to the World Bank's (WB) 2018 Country Classification list. Studies published between January 2005 and March 2018 will be included as the field of mHealth has emerged over the last decade. English language articles will be included as the authors are proficient in this language.DiscussionThe systematic review will assist researchers and SRH professionals in understanding facilitators and barriers to implementing and increasing the uptake of mHealth interventions for SRH in LMICs. Finally, this review will provide more detailed information about embracing the use of mobile phones at different levels of the healthcare system for improving young people's SRH outcomes.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42018087585.

Project description:INTRODUCTION:Health education programmes (HEPs) have been associated with a number of benefits. These include providing individuals with information on matters related to their mental, social, physical as well as emotional health. HEPs also play a major role in preventing diseases and reducing the level of engagement of individuals in risky behaviours. While this is the case, there are barriers to the effective implementation of HEPs, especially in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) where resources are scarce. Available evidence has revealed socioeconomic challenges ranging from literacy issues, discomfort about issues of sexuality, and cultural barriers to financial constraints as key barriers to the implementation of sexual and reproductive health HEPs in LMICs. We will focus on HEPs related to sexual and reproductive health; all age groups will be considered with no restrictions on geographical setting nor model of HEP delivery. This review will map literature on the barriers to the effective implementation of HEPs in LMICs to guide future implementation research. METHODS:Arksey and O'Malley's 2005 scoping methodological framework will act as the guide for this review. We will search the following electronic databases: EBSCOhost (Academic search complete, PsycINFO, Health Sources, CINAHL and MEDLINE with full text), Google Scholar, PubMed, SCOPUS, Science Direct and Web of Science. Grey literature from Mount Kenya University theses and dissertations, governments' as well as international organisations' reports, such as WHO, and reference lists of included studies will be searched for eligible studies. We will limit our search to publications from 1 January 2000 to 30 September 2019. Using thematic content analysis, we will employ NVivo V.12 to extract the relevant outcomes from the included articles. We will conduct a quality appraisal of the included articles using the mixed methods appraisal tool (MMAT) version 2018. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:No ethical approval is needed for the study as it will not include animal nor human participants. The results of the proposed scoping review will be disseminated electronically, in print and through conference presentation as well as at key stakeholder meetings.

Project description:BackgroundThe need to address sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in humanitarian settings is more urgent than ever, especially among young refugees. We conducted a scoping review to identify and synthesise the literature on perceived barriers and facilitators to SRHR among young refugees and interventions created to address their needs.MethodsWe searched three databases (PubMed, Global Health and POPLINE) for peer-reviewed and grey literature published in English between January 2008 and June 2018 that reported on SRHR barriers, facilitators and interventions for young refugees aged 10 to 24 years. We extracted data using standardised templates and assessed the quality of studies according to study design. Data were charted using qualitative content analysis and organised in line with a socio-ecological framework (individual, social and community, institutional and health system, and structural).FindingsWe screened 1,169 records and included 30 publications (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods) across 22 countries; 15 were peer-reviewed articles and 15 were from the grey literature. Twenty-two publications reported on young people in refugee camps or alternatives to camps (e.g. sustainable settlements), and eight referred to young refugees who had been resettled to a third country. We identified 19 sub-categories for barriers and 14 for facilitators at the individual, social and community, institutional and health system, and structural levels. No publications discussed the SRHR challenges faced by young homosexual, bisexual, transgender or queer refugees, or those living with HIV. Nine publications described interventions, which tended to focus on the provision of SRHR services and information, and the training of peers, parents, religious leaders and/or service providers.ConclusionsFindings highlight that while young refugees experience similar barriers to SRHR as other young people, many of these barriers are exacerbated by the refugee context. The limited number of publications and evidence on interventions underlines the immediate need to invest in and evaluate SRHR interventions in refugee contexts.

Dataset Information

Using mobile phones to improve young people sexual and reproductive health in low and middle-income countries: a systematic review to identify barriers, facilitators, and range of mHealth solutions.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Systematic review registration

Publications

Using mobile phones to improve young people sexual and reproductive health in low and middle-income countries: a systematic review to identify barriers, facilitators, and range of mHealth solutions.

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