Globally, significant progress has been made in the realm of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. We conceptualised “last mile” adolescents as having two or more of the following factors of identity: refugee, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIA+, out of school, rurally or remotely located, slum dwelling, incarcerated or previously incarcerated, HIV/AIDS infected, and living with a disability. We conducted a scoping review with an aim to synthesise evidence and identify research gaps in the literature pertaining to the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of last mile adolescents. We conducted searches in three databases (Embase, Global Health, and Medline). Fifty-four publications met our inclusion criteria. Our results revealed that the state of evidence on the SRHR of last mile adolescents is poor. Very few studies used qualitative and mixed-method inquiry. The number of studies carried out in North America, Europe, and Oceania were limited. We found insufficient disaggregated data with respect to SRHR-related knowledge, behaviour, and access to services. Adopting an intersectional lens is critical to uncover the multiplicative effects of last mile adolescents’ factors of identity on their SRHR. National data systems should be strengthened to enable the collection of quality disaggregated data which can play a vital role in identifying SRHR inequities affecting last mile adolescents. Research priorities should be realigned to generate data globally on the SRHR of last mile adolescents whose lives are marked by intersecting vulnerabilities.

Applied mixed methods research for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues involves multiple researchers and presents numerous responsibilities as well as unforeseen challenges. These challenges together with the often ignored and under-researched area of male sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Bangladesh require researchers to navigate cultural stigmas associated with SRH and hostile political situations across the country. We conducted a nationwide mixed methods research study to explore the SRHR of male youth. This study is the first of its kind in the context of Bangladesh. The aim of this paper is to describe the challenges experienced and mitigation strategies undertaken to conduct research on the SRHR of young males in Bangladesh. A group of experts, practitioners, service delivery staff and researchers were consulted during the tool development stage. However, challenges in obtaining permission from community members, explanation of SRH-specific topics, and establishing respondents’ trust persisted throughout the study. Mitigation strategies included spending time outside of scheduled interview hours and making repeated visits to respondents to establish trust. These strategies allowed for honest discussions over time and served to assure our study respondents that the confidentiality of their data would be protected. In addition to sourcing letters from official authorities, we had conversations with community influential people such as religious leaders and political representatives about the nature of our study and explained to them the implications of the study for the future of young men’s health. Moreover, we highlight the political issues of the time and shed light on the ad hoc measures taken to overcome the challenges we faced. These reflections can provide valuable insights for researchers conducting SRHR-related studies in similar social and political settings.