Sexual and reproductive health interventions for mobile adolescents and young people in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review.

A scoping review of SRHR interventions for mobile adolescents and young people in sub-Saharan Africa identified only 25 eligible articles from an initial pool of 1,069.

• Four databases were searched, identifying 1,069 articles initially.
• After screening, only 25 articles were included in the final review.
• The review followed Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) five-step framework for conducting scoping reviews.
• The small number of included studies indicates that research in this area is limited.

The majority of included studies were conducted in Uganda and focused on conflict-related mobility and HIV.

• Uganda was the most common study setting, accounting for 12 of the 25 included articles.
• Conflict-related mobility was the most common mobility type reported, featuring in 15 of 25 studies.
• HIV was the most common health focus, addressed in 11 of 25 studies.
• This distribution suggests geographic and topical concentration in the existing literature.

Two main types of SRHR interventions for mobile adolescents and young people were identified: links to service provision and knowledge, information, and skills development.

• These two categories encompassed the full range of intervention approaches found across the 25 included studies.
• The intervention types reflect both supply-side (service access) and demand-side (education and capacity) approaches.
• No additional major intervention categories beyond these two were identified in the reviewed literature.

Implementation facilitators for SRHR interventions among mobile adolescents and young people included recruiting community health promoters, mentors, and peer supporters.

• Community-based human resources were identified as key enablers of intervention delivery.
• Three distinct facilitator roles were identified: community health promoters, mentors, and peer supporters.
• These facilitators likely help bridge trust and access gaps in new or unfamiliar communities.

Multiple implementation barriers to SRHR interventions for mobile adolescents and young people were identified, including limited literacy, social norms, facility access, and stigma.

• Four distinct categories of barriers were identified: limited literacy, social norms, access to facilities, and stigma associated with accessing services.
• Stigma was specifically linked to the act of accessing SRHR services.
• Social and cultural norms were noted as shaping mobile young people's ability to seek and use SRHR services.
• These barriers reflect both structural and sociocultural challenges in delivering SRHR interventions to mobile populations.

Young migrants are more likely to experience gender-based violence and face limited access to SRHR services and education in their new communities.

• Mobility was identified as a key factor influencing access to sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) services.
• Limited access to SRHR services and education in new communities was noted as a specific vulnerability for young migrants.
• Gender-based violence risk was highlighted as elevated among mobile young people.
• These vulnerabilities underscore the need for targeted interventions for this population.

The authors conclude that future research and interventions should be underpinned by an understanding of young people's health and wellbeing more broadly, foregrounding social, cultural, religious, and economic factors.

• The review calls for interventions that go beyond narrow health outcomes to address broader determinants of SRH needs.
• Social, cultural, religious, and economic factors were specifically identified as shaping mobile adolescents and young people's SRH needs.
• The authors emphasize the need for future research to address the current gap in evidence for this population in sub-Saharan Africa.