The effect of technology-based interventions on adolescent and youth sexual health: an umbrella review.

INTRODUCTION

Adolescent and youth sexual health has become a public health challenge. This study aims to review existing systematic reviews on technology-based interventions for adolescent and youth sexual health and to identify effective interventions in this domain.

METHODS

This umbrella review examined all systematic review articles indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, and Medline, up to October 2023. Studies were included if they met the following criteria: (1) targeted adolescents and young adults, (2) contained interventions related to sexual and reproductive health with at least one technological intervention, (3) included randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies with a comparison group, and (4) in single-group studies, pre-test and post-test assessments with a comparison group exposed only to a control group without other interventions. Relevant data were synthesized narratively, given the heterogeneity in outcomes, measurements, and effect sizes, which precluded meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Data extraction included 23 articles on technology-based interventions, with 5 meta-analyses and 18 systematic reviews. Outcomes were categorized into behavioral, cognitive, psychological, biological, and service-related classifications. Thirteen studies reported positive cognitive outcomes, and 3 reported positive service-related outcomes, indicating effective interventions. However, while the majority of reviews suggested positive effects on behavioral outcomes, some behavioral results did not show positive impacts. MHealth interventions did not impact pregnancy incidence or condom use. Reports suggested that social media and text messaging might affect behaviors such as sexually transmitted infection screening/testing and risky sexual behaviors, although evidence for these effects was weak.

CONCLUSION

The study highlights the effectiveness of technology-based interventions in enhancing the sexual health of adolescents and young adults, particularly in cognitive and service-related outcomes. However, it also reveals inconsistencies in behavioral outcomes, indicating a need for further research to better understand these variations.