Article type
Abstract
Background: Adolescence is a crucial stage of physical and sexual maturation and development and a period in which understanding sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is important. SRH information-based interventions and toolkits provide a range of valuable resources and information available to young people, educators and members of the community on a range of SRH topics, including contraception and puberty. However, the usefulness and reliability of these available toolkits have not been previously studied, thus limiting our understanding of their appropriateness and contents. Hence, this systematic review aimed to synthesise the available toolkits aimed at the SRH of adolescents and young adults to understand their contents, design and information gaps.
Methods: We considered all toolkits or information-based material (available digitally) focusing on the SRH of adolescents and young adults (ages 10-25 years) that were developed and disseminated worldwide between January 01, 2010, and May 11, 2023. Literature reviews, systematic reviews, and experimental and observational studies that detail the contents and experiences of adolescents using the toolkits were also included. Due to the purpose of this review being the contents and gaps in the current toolkits, any papers published that aimed to assess the usefulness of a toolkit but did not describe its contents were not included. The search was conducted on Google Scholar and organisational websites, WHO, UNFP, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, International Planned Parenthood Federation, CDC, Guttmacher Institute, The American Sexual Health Association, Australian Government Department of Health, Pan American Health Organization, and the African Health Organisation.
Results: A systematic search of medical databases and grey literature was conducted, and 16 toolkits were included in our review. The majority of the toolkits (n=12) contained information related to general SRH knowledge and contraception, whereas only three contained information on teenage pregnancy.
Conclusion: We found that aiming the toolkits toward educators and healthcare workers was a favourable design over targeting adolescents and young adults directly and that vulnerable youth were not well represented. We identified key gaps in the content and useability of the currently available SRH toolkits and provided ideas for improvement.
Methods: We considered all toolkits or information-based material (available digitally) focusing on the SRH of adolescents and young adults (ages 10-25 years) that were developed and disseminated worldwide between January 01, 2010, and May 11, 2023. Literature reviews, systematic reviews, and experimental and observational studies that detail the contents and experiences of adolescents using the toolkits were also included. Due to the purpose of this review being the contents and gaps in the current toolkits, any papers published that aimed to assess the usefulness of a toolkit but did not describe its contents were not included. The search was conducted on Google Scholar and organisational websites, WHO, UNFP, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, International Planned Parenthood Federation, CDC, Guttmacher Institute, The American Sexual Health Association, Australian Government Department of Health, Pan American Health Organization, and the African Health Organisation.
Results: A systematic search of medical databases and grey literature was conducted, and 16 toolkits were included in our review. The majority of the toolkits (n=12) contained information related to general SRH knowledge and contraception, whereas only three contained information on teenage pregnancy.
Conclusion: We found that aiming the toolkits toward educators and healthcare workers was a favourable design over targeting adolescents and young adults directly and that vulnerable youth were not well represented. We identified key gaps in the content and useability of the currently available SRH toolkits and provided ideas for improvement.