ArticlePloS one
Understanding the epidemiological HIV risk factors and underlying risk context for youth residing in or originating from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: A scoping review of the literature.
Article in PloS one. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Challenges in Elucidating HIV-1 Genetic Diversity in the Middle East and North Africa: A Review Based on a Systematic Search.Viruses · 2025Pooled it
- Phylogenetic Evidence of Local HIV-1 Transmission and Antiretroviral Drug Resistance in the Middle East and North Africa.Viruses · 2026Article
- Health among sexual and gender minority people affected by armed conflict and forced displacement: Call for a biocultural and minority stress framework.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2026Review
- Article
- Developing culturally responsive sexual health interventions: recommendations from Middle Eastern and North African diaspora youth in Ontario, Canada.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Minoritized and Poorly Understood: A Scoping Review of Mental and Physical Health Among Arab Adolescents in Canada and the United States.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2025Article
- Prevalence of risky sexual behaviors and associated factors among students at a private university in Lebanon.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Gut microbiome as a potential mediator linking sexual behaviors to immune profiles in HIV-negative men who have sex with men: a multi-omics study.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- Public perceptions of HIV/AIDS awareness in the Gulf Council Cooperation countries: a qualitative study.International journal for equity in health · 2024Article
- Emergence of mpox in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Data assessment and implications for a public health response.Journal of infection and public health · 2024Article
- State of the ART (antiretroviral therapy): Long-acting HIV-1 therapeutics.Global health & medicine · 2024Review
- Association Between Early Sexual Debut and New HIV Infections Among Adolescents and Young Adults in 11 African Countries.AIDS and behavior · 2024Article
- Sexuality Education for Youth and Adolescents in the Middle East and North Africa Region: A Window of Opportunity.Global health, science and practice · 2024Article
- Between worlds: Cis-and trans-identifying diaspora Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) women in Ontario, Canada on the intersections of gender, sexuality and sexual health.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Progress of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries Towards Achieving the 95-95-95 UNAIDS Targets: A Review.Journal of epidemiology and global health · 2023Review
- An Evolving HIV Epidemic in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Assessment ofLe infezioni in medicina · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionHIV is the second leading cause of death among young people globally, and adolescents are the only group where HIV mortality is not declining. Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is one of few regions seeing rapid increase of HIV infections (31.0%) since 2001. MENA youth are at particular risk of HIV due to dearth of research and challenges in accessing services.
objectiveThe purpose of this scoping review is to establish the epidemiological HIV risk factors and underlying risk context for youth residing in or originating from the MENA region.
methodsOnline database searches were conducted using combination of search terms. Screening 5,853 citations, published between 1990-2019 with age groups 16 to 29, resulted in 57 studies included across 18 MENA countries.
results'Key populations' engage in risky behaviors, including: overlapping risky behaviors among youth who inject drugs (PWID); lack of access to HIV testing, condomless sex, and multiple sex partners among young men who have sex with men (MSM); and high and overlapping risk behaviors among young sex workers. Challenges facing other youth groups and bridging populations include: peer pressure, inhibition about discussing sexual health, lack of credible sex education sources, low condom use, and lack of access to HIV protection/prevention services, especially testing.
conclusionPoor surveillance coupled with scarcity of rigorous studies limit what is known about epidemiology of HIV among youth in MENA. Homophobia, stigma around PWID, and illegal status of sex work promote non-disclosure of risk behaviors among youth and curtail serving this population.
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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.