SynthesisPloS one2020
Barriers facing persons with disability in accessing sexual and reproductive health services in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 72 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
72 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 120 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents and young people with disabilities in Sub-Saharan Africa countries, 2013-2024: a scoping review.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026Pooled it
- Accessibility of sexual and reproductive health services among women with motor disabilities in low- and middle-income countries in Africa: a systematic review.Reproductive health · 2025Pooled it
- Prevalence and determinants of modern contraception use among persons with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH · 2025Pooled it
- Barriers to sexual and reproductive health care faced by transgender and gender diverse people: a systematic review.Reproductive health · 2025Pooled it
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Service Utilization and Associated Factors Among Young People With Disabilities in Ethiopia: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingPooled it
- Beyond physical access: disability-inclusive primary health care as a test of health equity in Sub-Saharan Africa.International journal for equity in health · 2026Article
- Accessibility and predictors of sexual and reproductive health services utilisation among adolescents and youth people with disabilities in Bono Region, Ghana: a cross-sectional survey.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Female genital schistosomiasis-related infertility and gynecological manifestations among women living in countries endemic for urogenital schistosomiasis in Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.Systematic reviews · 2026Article
- Access to sexual and reproductive health and rights services among women with disabilities: a cross-sectional study from Murang'a South, Central Kenya.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Disability-related care trajectories in a pluralistic health system: a qualitative study in urban Sierra Leone.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Experiences of women with disabilities accessing maternal and newborn health services in Mogadishu, Somalia.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- 'They don't see us to be sexual beings': barriers to sexual intimacy and reproductive rights among women with disabilities in northern Ghana.International journal for equity in health · 2026Article
- Knowledge, attitudes and factors associated with uptake of modern contraceptive methods among young women living with disabilities in Botswana.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2026Article
- Disability and sexual and reproductive health outcomes among women in Cambodia: a cross-sectional analysis of the 2021-22 demographic and health survey.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Article
- Ethical wisdom in family planning programming.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
- Disability and reproductive anxiety in China: when the personal becomes political.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- The burden of mental health problems among elderly persons living with HIV in countries across sub-Saharan Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.Systematic reviews · 2025Article
- "We don't see a future in them…" barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health information and services among young people with disabilities in Kyotera border district.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Access to eye health services among older people with disabilities in Karamoja, Uganda: a qualitative exploration of successful care seeking.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
12 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere is evidence that persons with disabilities often encounter grave barriers when accessing sexual and reproductive health services. To the best of our knowledge, however, no systematic review has been conducted to pull together these pieces of research evidence for us to understand the nature, magnitude and extent of these barriers in different settings in sub-Saharan Africa. We do not yet have a good understanding of the strength/quality of the evidence that exist on the barriers persons with disabilities face when accessing sexual and reproductive health services in sub-Saharan Africa. We therefore conducted a systematic review to examine the barriers persons with disabilities face in accessing sexual and reproductive health services in sub-Saharan Africa.
methodsA systematic review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines (PROSPEROO protocol registration number: CRD42017074843). An electronic search was conducted in Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science from 2001 to 2020. Manual search of reference list was also conducted. Studies were included if they reported on barriers persons with disability face in accessing sexual and reproductive health services. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme and Centre for Evidence Based Management (CEBMa) appraisal tools were used to assess methodological quality of eligible studies.
findingsA total of 1061 studies were identified. Only 26 studies covering 12 sub-Saharan African countries were eligible for analysis. A total of 33 specific barriers including inaccessible physical health infrastructure and stigma and discrimination were identified. These barriers were further categorised into five levels: broader national level barriers; healthcare system/institutional barriers; individual level barriers; community level barriers; and economic barriers.
conclusionPersons with disabilities face a myriad of demand and supply side barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa. Multilevel interventions are urgently needed to address these barriers.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.