Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 May 3;66(1):e1-e9.
doi: 10.4102/safp.v66i1.5859.

A scoping review of strategies for adolescents' sexual and reproductive health role modelling

Tshiamo N Ramalepa  1 , Thinavhuyo R Netangaheni
Affiliations

A scoping review of strategies for adolescents' sexual and reproductive health role modelling

Tshiamo N Ramalepa et al. S Afr Fam Pract (2004). .

Abstract

Background: Individuals strive to maintain their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) by being exposed to correct information, having access to contraceptives, and promoting safe sex practices. Adolescent SRH promotion efforts should consider the influence of role models. This review explored the availability and nature of strategies and programmes on adolescents' SRH role modelling and described them using a scoping review.

Methods: Studies were retrieved from four databases and grey literature through a search of 223 studies. The databases included EBSCO-host, Medline, Sabinet, and Pubmed. Data extraction was guided by a data-extraction tool adapted from the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. The characteristics of the selected studies were recorded in a Microsoft spreadsheet. Eleven studies published between 2014 and 2022 were included for the final review and analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: Selected articles focused on adolescents' SRH; however, only two studies focused particularly on role modelling. Nonetheless, some aspects of the findings and recommendations presented could be extrapolated to adolescents' SRH role modelling. This includes adolescent-parent communication on SRH, community engagement, mentoring, positive role modelling, and information sharing through media campaigns.

Conclusion: There is a lack of literature on SRH role modelling because most studies did not focus on role modelling as an aspect of SRH. Therefore, research needs to be conducted on strategies and programmes focusing on SRH modelling.Contribution: The findings of this scoping review may encourage the development and implementation of strategies and programmes targeting adolescents' SRH throughout diverse communities to promote adolescent SRH.

Keywords: adolescent role models; adolescents; reproductive health; role modelling; sexual and reproductive health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interest exists.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis for Scoping Review flow chart for selection of studies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. United Nations Population Fund . Sexual and reproductive health [homepage on the Internet]. New York City, NY: United Nations Population Fund; 2022. [cited 2023 Apr 04]. Available from: https://www.unfpa.org/sexual-reproductive-health
    1. World Health Organisation . Adolescent health [homepage on the Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023. [cited 2023 Apr 04]. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/adolescent-health#tab=tab_1
    1. Sanci L, Webb M, Hocking J. Risk-taking behaviour in adolescents. Aust J Gen Pract. 2018;47(12):829–834. 10.31128/AJGP-07-18-4626 - DOI - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization . Adolescent pregnancy [homepage on the Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2022. [cited 2023 May 04]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy
    1. Mehta SD, Seeley J. Grand challenges in adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Front Reprod Health. 2020;2(2):1–4. 10.3389/frph.2020.00002 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources