Abstract
IntroductionYouth engagement in HIV research is generally recognized as essential, but often neglected or minimally implemented in practice. Engagement is a process of working collaboratively with diverse groups of people to address common issues. We conducted a scoping review of youth HIV prevention interventions in sub‐Saharan Africa to identify and categorize forms and levels of youth engagement across the lifespan of intervention research.MethodsWe followed Arksey and O'Malley's framework for organizing a scoping review. We searched seven databases for related articles on identified intervention studies through May 28th 2020. Included studies focused on youth (10 to 24 years old) HIV prevention interventions in sub‐Saharan Africa. Two reviewers independently examined citations and full manuscripts for inclusion. Data were extracted on study characteristics, location, description of youth engagement and extent of engagement. Youth engagement approaches were categorized based on Hart’s ladder as substantial engagement (strong youth decision‐making power), moderate engagement (shared decision making with adults), minimal engagement (no youth decision‐making power) or no engagement.ResultsWe identified 3149 citations and included 112 studies reporting on 74 unique HIV interventions. Twenty‐two interventions were in low‐income countries, 49 in middle‐income countries, and three were in both. Overall, only nine interventions (12%) had substantial or moderate youth engagement, two‐thirds (48, 65%) had minimal youth engagement and 17 interventions (23%) had no youth engagement. We also identified specific engagement strategies (e.g. youth‐led research, crowdsourcing) that were feasible in multiple settings and resulted in substantial engagement.ConclusionsWe found limited youth engagement in youth HIV prevention intervention studies in sub‐Saharan Africa. However, several activities resulted in substantial youth engagement and could be relevant in many low‐and‐middle‐income‐country (LMIC) settings.
Highlights
Youth engagement in HIV research is generally recognized as essential, but often neglected or minimally implemented in practice
While many studies have examined the effectiveness of youth HIV interventions in sub-Saharan Africa [8,12,13], the extent to which youth are engaged at various stages of intervention research activities is rarely explored
We found that youth engagement was minimal or absent in many youth HIV prevention studies from sub-Saharan Africa
Summary
Youth engagement in HIV research is generally recognized as essential, but often neglected or minimally implemented in practice. We conducted a scoping review of youth HIV prevention interventions in sub-Saharan Africa to identify and categorize forms and levels of youth engagement across the lifespan of intervention research. Included studies focused on youth (10 to 24 years old) HIV prevention interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. Conclusions: We found limited youth engagement in youth HIV prevention intervention studies in sub-Saharan Africa. While many studies have examined the effectiveness of youth HIV interventions in sub-Saharan Africa [8,12,13], the extent to which youth are engaged at various stages of intervention research activities (pre-intervention, intervention and post-intervention) is rarely explored. Categorizing levels of youth engagement across study phases will help identify important gaps in the research process, while describing types of engagement approaches that have been used in partnership with youth, providing a resource for HIV prevention research
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
