Burden and risk factors of sexually transmitted diseases and infections in women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): a scoping review

Abstract

Introduction Sexually transmitted diseases and infections have a significant negative impact on both individual and community productivity across all countries, particularly in developing ones. Depending on the STI and the population, the risk of HIV acquisition and transmission may increase by two to eight times in low-income nations. Due to the consequences of co-infection with HPV and HIV, the prevalence of cervical diseases, including cervical cancer, has grown in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Method This is a scoping evaluation of primary studies released between 2012 and 2022. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses expanded for scoping reviews in order to publish the findings of this inquiry (PRISMA.ScR). The original, peer-reviewed research publications that satisfied the inclusion requirements and were published from 2012 onward were given priority. These articles were collected from the databases of PubMed, EMBASE, and African Journals Online. Two impartial reviewers used preset criteria to conduct the screening. Objective This review was done to provide evidence on the burden and factors of sexually transmitted diseases and infections in women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in SSA. Findings Eleven (11) studies met the inclusion criteria. Ten (10) out of the eleven (11) included studies reported the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases and infections in women of reproductive age in SSA. The risk factors were persistent with socio-cultural, behavioral, and socio-economic factors. The sociocultural factors identified include the age of the woman, marital status, employment, education of the woman, and, being in a female-headed home. The behavioral factors identified include having more than one sexual partner, and not using condoms with regular partners, and the socioeconomic factors identified include the environment of the woman respectively. Conclusion We come to the conclusion that age, being unmarried, living in urban areas, having sex with multiple sexual partners, low/primary education, and, self-employment/employment were factors associated with sexually transmitted diseases and infections in women of reproductive age in SSA. This review noted some gaps like ( the mortality rate of STDS and STIs in SSA, the impact STDs, and STIs create on the reproductive health of the women, facilities available to test and treat women for STDs and , STIs etc.) which are required to be further researched in these areas.