Self-care interventions for sexual and reproductive health in humanitarian and fragile settings: a scoping review

Abstract

Background Self-care is the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and manage illness and disability with or without a health care provider. In resource-constrained settings with disrupted sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service coverage and access, SRH self-care could play a critical role. Despite SRH conditions being among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity among women of reproductive age in humanitarian and fragile settings, there are currently no reviews of self-care interventions in these contexts to guide policy and practice. Methods We undertook a scoping review to identify the design, implementation, and outcomes of self-care interventions for SRH in humanitarian and fragile settings. We defined settings of interest as locations with appeals for international humanitarian assistance or identified as fragile and conflict-affected situations by the World Bank. SRH self-care interventions were described according to those aligned with the Minimum Initial Services Package for Reproductive Health in Crises. We searched six databases for records using keywords guided by the PRISMA statement. The findings of each included paper were analysed using an a priori framework to identify information concerning effectiveness, acceptability and feasibility of the self-care intervention, places where self-care interventions were accessed and factors relating to the environment that enabled the delivery and uptake of the interventions. Results We identified 25 publications on SRH self-care implemented in humanitarian and fragile settings including ten publications on maternal and newborn health, nine on HIV/STI interventions, two on contraception, two on safe abortion care, one on gender-based violence, and one on health service provider perspectives on multiple interventions. Overall, the findings show that well-supported self-care interventions have the potential to increase access to quality SRH for crisis-affected communities. However, descriptions of interventions, study settings, and factors impacting implementation offer limited insight into how practical considerations for SRH self-care interventions differ in stable, fragile, and crisis-affected settings. Conclusion It is time to invest in self-care implementation research in humanitarian settings to inform policies and practices that are adapted to the needs of crisis-affected communities and tailored to the specific health system challenges encountered in such contexts.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights in humanitarian settings: a matter of life and death

“…Conditions related to SRHR continue to be the leading cause of death and suffering among women of childbearing age in humanitarian settings globally [3]. The increasing number of persons requiring humanitarian support, poor health infrastructure, and insufficient policies to guide and supervise SRHR interventions and regulations in these settings continue to be major setbacks to the provision of holistic care.…”

“…In addition, approximately 33,000 child marriages still occur daily, 25 million unsafe abortions occur annually, and a host of other unresolved Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) agenda gaps remain unaddressed [1,2]. These gaps are even greater among women and girls in humanitarian settings where SRH conditions like gender-based violence, unsafe abortions, and poor obstetric care are among the leading causes of female morbidity and mortality [3][4][5]. Indeed, women and girls in humanitarian settings continue to be deprived of basic SRHR resulting in devastating consequences [2,6].…”

Child self-care autonomy in health (scale for parents): development, internal structure, and sex/age correlates

“…In addition, data acquired in a specific country concerning health-related self-care practices among children without chronic conditions may be employed to target interventions more precisely ( Dawson et al, 2022 ; Hopkins and Narasimhan, 2022 ). Screening for self-care behaviors and evaluating those who engage in minimal as well as excessive self-care at a certain age and for a certain sex can highlight individuals in need of a novel self-care intervention within a particular country, district, or school.…”