Abstract
Adolescents living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are struggling with accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, and COVID-19 has escalated the problem. The purpose of this review was to identify and assess the existing literature on the impact of the pandemic on SRH needs and access to services by adolescents in LMICs. A scoping review was conducted to collate findings on the topic. Searches were performed on eight databases. Data were extracted and categorized into various themes. After removing duplicates and performing a full-text reading of all articles, nine articles were included in our review. Our findings generated several themes related to adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include (1) limited access to sexual and reproductive health services, (2) school closure and increased rate of early marriages, (3) sexual or intimate partner violence during COVID-19, (4) disruption in maternity care, (5) adolescents’ involvement in risky or exploitative work, (6) intervention to improve sexual and reproductive health services during COVID-19, and (7) policy development related to adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Several recommendations were made on policies—for instance, the use of telemedicine and community-based programs as a way to deliver SRH services to adolescents during and after a pandemic.
Highlights
As the fastest-moving global public health crisis during this century, the COVID-19 pandemic is causing significant mortality and morbidity and creating daunting health and socioeconomic challenges
To explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of adolescents residing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and the types of interventions designed to improve access to SRH services, we used a scoping review methodology as guided by Arksey and O’Malley [10] and Levac et al [11]
Following a full-text review and consultation among the reviewers, nine articles were included in the final review and analysis using the PRISMA diagram (Figure 1) [23]
Summary
As the fastest-moving global public health crisis during this century, the COVID-19 pandemic is causing significant mortality and morbidity and creating daunting health and socioeconomic challenges. The restrictive measures that have been put in place by many countries to contain the spread of the virus may negatively affect access to essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, by adolescents living in low- and 4.0/).
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