Interventions for improving the health and socio-economic well-being of young parents: a scoping review of studies in Africa.

objectivesEarly childbearing has significant adverse effects on the health and socio-economic well-being of young people globally. While some interventions have addressed the challenges faced by young parents, no study has systematically mapped initiatives aimed at improving the health and socio-economic well-being of young parents in Africa. This scoping review aimed to map and summarise existing interventions meant to improve the well-being of young parents in Africa, examining their approaches, geographical distribution, key outcomes and impacts to inform future policy and programme decisions.

designOur study adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) standards and was guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute methodological framework for scoping review. DATA SOURCES: We conducted a systematic search across PubMed, Science Direct, JSTOR, African Journals Online, Education Resources Information Center and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed articles published between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2024. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: We included peer-reviewed studies such as randomised controlled trials, non-randomised studies, mixed methods studies and qualitative evaluations focusing on young mothers and fathers aged 10-24 years in Africa, reporting interventions targeting their health and socio-economic well-being and published in English or French. We excluded non-peer-reviewed studies, studies conducted outside of Africa, those focusing on parents older than 24 years, publications written in languages other than English or French as well as grey literature materials. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Three independent reviewers screened all articles' abstracts and titles using Rayyan software. Then these three reviewers independently conducted a full-text review for the prequalified articles using the prespecified inclusion criteria. Findings were summarised in tables and synthesised qualitatively.

resultsOur review included 13 peer-reviewed studies, namely randomised controlled trials (2), quasi-experimental (7), mixed-methods (2) and qualitative studies (2). The studies were conducted in seven African countries, primarily in Kenya (5) and exclusively targeted young mothers (10-24 years), while neglecting young fathers. Most interventions focused on health outcomes, particularly mental and sexual and reproductive health. Few addressed economic (financial independence, livelihoods), social (communication, decision-making) or educational (school continuation, performance) outcomes. The interventions demonstrated positive impacts across multiple domains, including mental health, education, sexual/reproductive health access, social skills (communication, decision-making) and economic empowerment (financial independence, living conditions) among young mothers.

conclusionThe evidence base for interventions targeting African young parents' well-being is limited in volume, geographical spread, evaluation rigour and focus on young fathers. The findings underscore the need for more robust research to identify effective interventions for this population. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42023464828.