Efficacy of Digital Health Interventions Used for Adolescent's Sexual Health: An Umbrella Review.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Adolescents face many barriers and challenges associated with sexual and reproductive health (SRH). These barriers can include limited access to youth-friendly healthcare services, lack of information, and stigma. Digital health interventions has the capability to enhance clinical management. This study was performed to investigate the efficacy of digital health interventions used for adolescent's sexual health.

METHODS

This Umbrella Review has reviewed the search engines and databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Chochrane Library, Google Scholar in English with the keywords organized into three broad categories: Sexual health and related issues, digital health interventions, and Adolescent, until December 3, 2023. The final analysis was based on a review of 23 full-text articles.

RESULTS

The findings of the study clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of digital health interventions in enhancing sexual health outcomes among adolescents. The review identified several significant fields where digital health interventions have been effective, including promoting safer sexual practices, improving sexual health knowledge, and Minimizing high-risk sexual behaviors among adolescents. The assessment also emphasized the potential of digital health interventions to reach a wide audience, particularly those who may not have access to traditional healthcare services.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this research suggest that digital health interventions can be an effective way to promote safer sexual practices, improve sexual health knowledge, and reduce risky sexual behavior among adolescents. The quality of the evidence, however, varied across the studies assessed, highlighting the need for further rigorous study to demonstrate the efficacy of these interventions.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42023488296; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023488296.