Digital Health Interventions for Adolescents with Long-Term Health Conditions in South Africa: A Scoping Review

Talitha Crowley (), Lwandile Tokwe, Leonie Weyers, Rukshana Francis and Charné Petinger
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Talitha Crowley: School of Nursing, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
Lwandile Tokwe: HIV Mental Health Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7700, South Africa
Leonie Weyers: School of Nursing, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
Rukshana Francis: School of Nursing, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
Charné Petinger: School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 22, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Adolescents with long-term health conditions may benefit from digital health interventions (DHIs) to support self-management. The study aimed to map the current research on DHIs for adolescents with long-term conditions in South Africa, focusing on the types of interventions, targeted chronic conditions, and reported outcomes. The scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. Searches were conducted in electronic databases such as EBSCOHost (CINAHL, MEDLINE, Academic Search Ultimate, and APA PSycArticles), Wiley Online Library, and PubMed for articles published between 2014 and 2024. Studies that (1) involved adolescents with a long-term health condition (aged 15–24) residing in South Africa, (2) reported on the use of digital health technology, and (3) provided empirical evidence were included. Nine studies were included in the analysis, focusing primarily on HIV, depression/anxiety, and diabetes. Most interventions utilized WhatsApp, SMS, or social media to provide peer or healthcare worker support. Process outcomes like acceptability and feasibility dominated, with limited data on effectiveness. DHIs show potential for supporting adolescent health but cover a limited number of long-term health conditions and face barriers to effective implementation. Affordable, context-specific solutions co-designed with adolescents are crucial to enhance engagement and ensure scalability in the South African context. Registration: The protocol was registered on Open Science Framework.

Keywords: adolescents; chronic disease; digital health; long-term health conditions; scoping review; South Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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