Adolescent sexual and reproductive health: an evidence gap map

Abstract

The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) is an international grant-making NGO promoting evidence-informed development policies and programmes. We are the global leader in funding and producing high-quality evidence of what works, how, why and at what cost. We believe that better and policy-relevant evidence will make development more effective and improve people's lives. 3ie evidence gap map reports 3ie evidence gap maps are thematic collections of information about impact evaluations or systematic reviews that measure the effects of international development policies and programmes. The maps present a visual overview of existing and ongoing studies in a sector or sub-sector in terms of the types of programmes (or interventions) evaluated and the outcomes measured. The evidence gap map reports provide all the supporting documentation for the maps themselves, including the background information for the theme of the map, the methods and results, including the protocols, and the analysis of the results. About this evidence gap map reportThis report provides the supporting documentation for the 3ie evidence gap map on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, which was developed as part of a project funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. All of the content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not represent the opinions of 3ie, its donors or its Board of Commissioners. Any errors and omissions are also the sole responsibility of the authors. Any comments or queries should be directed to the corresponding author, Kristen Rankin, at krankin@3ieimpact.org. Additionally, 3ie would like to thank the wide range of stakeholders who participated in consultative workshops and a roundtable event. A complete list of participants can be found in the accompanying scoping report (Rankin et al. 2016).ii Summary Adolescence (ages 10-19) is a critical time period in life during which people undergo extensive biological, psychological and social changes. Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) plays an integral role during adolescence and can affect many aspects of a person's life during and after this time. Adolescents face a multitude of risks and challenges related to SRH, including those related to early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (Fatusi and Hindin 2010;Dick and Ferguson 2015). Programming that addresses this health area has the potential to greatly improve not only adolescents' SRH, but also their overall health and their ability to reach their full potential. This programming can range from clinical interventions such as STI treatment, to health systems strengthening, to community engagement approaches aimed at changing norms around gender, marriage and sexual health.To best invest finite resources in programming aimed at improving adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH), decision-makers need to know what works and what does not, particularly within a low-and middle-income country (L&MIC) context. Impact evaluations -studies using experimental or quasi...

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