A systematic review of the evidence on the effectiveness of sexuality education interventions on young people's sexual and reproductive health outcomes in Nigeria

Abstract

Poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes among Nigeria's youth necessitate urgent interventions to meet the country's sustainable development goal (SDG) SRH target by 2030. This review evaluates Nigeria's SRH educational interventions, focusing on their effectiveness in improving young people's (YP) SRH outcomes. It highlights the global implications of these outcomes on achieving the SDG by 2030. The review, following PRISMA standards, analyzed peer-reviewed journals and gray literature (from January 2017-June 2023), using narrative synthesis and Joanna Briggs institute (JBI) quality appraisal checklists for quasi-experimental and cross-sectional studies. The search found 1021 studies, with 6 meeting inclusion criteria (4 quasi-experimental and 2 cross-sectional studies). All reported significant improvements in YPSRH outcomes, including knowledge and attitudes towards SRH themes, uptake of SRH and HIV/STI services, parental and societal support, and reduction in risky sexual behaviors. Quality assessment revealed several methodological flaws such as inadequate blinding and contamination measures. The review offers insights for YP interventions, but methodological flaws limit effectiveness. Further studies with rigorous designs and longer follow-up are needed. The absence of economic evaluation data is a knowledge gap with important implications for decision-makers.