Participatory Action Research for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Introduction: Youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health (SRH) interventions are essential for the health of adolescents (10–19 years). Co-designing is a participatory approach to research, allowing for collaboration with academic and non-academic stakeholders in intervention development. Participatory action research (PAR) involves stakeholders throughout the planning, action, observation, and reflection stages of research. Current knowledge indicates that co-producing SRH interventions with adolescents increases a feeling of ownership, setting the scene for intervention adoption in implementation settings. Objectives: This scoping review aims to understand the extent of adolescents’ participation in PAR steps for co-designed SRH interventions, including the barriers and facilitators in co-designing of SRH intervention, as well as its effectiveness on adolescents’ SRH outcomes. Methods: Database searching of PubMed, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and organisational websites was performed, identifying 439 studies. Results: Upon screening, 30 studies (published between 2006–2021) met the inclusion criteria. The synthesis identified that adolescents were involved in the planning and action stages of the interventions, but not in the observation and reflection stages. Although the review identified the barriers and facilitators for co-designing SRF interventions, none of the included studies reported on the effectiveness of co-designing SRH interventions with adolescents; therefore, meta-analysis was not performed. Conclusions: While no specific outcome of the interventions was reported, all papers agreed that adolescent co-designing in ASRH interventions should occur at all stages to increase understanding of local perceptions and develop a successful intervention.

Decolonization in Sexual and Reproductive Health Research Methods: Protocol for a Scoping Review

“…Knowledge from this review may also inform researchers in the design and implementation of their own work as a point of reference for application of the strategies identified therein. Findings from this scoping review will support the existing theoretical literature from scholars such as Battiste [ 7 ] and Smith [ 5 ], who describe and identify the need for decolonized methodologies, and set the agenda for future work.The results of this analysis will support the findings of other literature which identifies the shared characteristics of related research methodologies [ 25 ] and identifies common strategies to guide researchers in the implementation of specific approaches [ 27 ], to create consensus. The findings from this review will add to the growing body of work describing and supporting the practical uses of new theories and methodologies [ 31 ].…”

“…An initial scan of PROSPERO, MEDLINE, Open Science Frameworks, and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports has been conducted, and there are no past or ongoing reviews on shared characteristics of decolonized research methodologies in the context of SRH. While there have been reviews of the characteristics of specific indigenous research methodologies [ 25 ] and models of service delivery [ 26 ], participatory action research for SRH [ 27 ], and meta-reviews of the different forms of community-engaged scholarship [ 9 ], there still remains a gap in the assessment of what it means to decolonize SRH research and what tools and assessments of success researchers are using.…”

Decolonization in Sexual and Reproductive Health Research Methods: Protocol for a Scoping Review (Preprint)

“…Knowledge from this review may also inform researchers in the design and implementation of their own work as a point of reference for application of the strategies identified therein. Findings from this scoping review will support the existing theoretical literature from scholars such as Battiste [7] and Smith [5], who describe and identify the need for decolonized methodologies, and set the agenda for future work.The results of this analysis will support the findings of other literature which identifies the shared characteristics of related research methodologies [25] and identifies common strategies to guide researchers in the implementation of specific approaches [27], to create consensus. The findings from this review will add to the growing body of work describing and supporting the practical uses of new theories and methodologies [31].…”

Adolescents and reproductive health: Promoting healthy habits for reproductive well-being

“…It is essential that adolescents develop life skills in a secure and supportive environment and receive equitable, appropriate, and effective healthcare. Teenagers should have meaningful opportunities to participate in the design and delivery of health promotion and maintenance interventions (Morris & Rushwan, 2015, Lassi et al, 2022. This period of transition to maturity is marked by physical, psychological, and social transformations.…”