Abstract:
The burden of health risk behaviour (HRB) among adolescents living with HIV
(ALWHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is currently unknown. A systematic search for
publications on HRB among ALWHIV in SSA was conducted in PubMed, Embase,
PsycINFO, and Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts databases. Results were
summarized following PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Heterogeneity was assessed by the DerSimonian and Laird method and the pooled
estimates were computed. Prevalence of current condom nonuse behaviour was at 59.8%
(95% CI: 47.9-71.3%), risky sexual partnerships at 32.9% (95% CI: 15.4-53.2%),
transactional sex at 20.1% (95% CI: 9.2-33.8%), and the experience of sexual violence at
21.4% (95% CI: 16.3-27.0%) among ALWHIV. From this meta-analysis, we did not find
statistically significant differences in pooled estimates of HRB prevalence between
ALWHIV and HIV uninfected adolescents. However, there was mixed evidence on the
occurrence of alcohol and drug use behaviour. Overall, we found that research on HRB
among ALWHIV tends to focus on behaviour specific to sexual risk. With such a high
burden of HRB for the individuals as well as society, these findings highlight an unmet
need for age-appropriate interventions to address the behavioural needs of these
adolescents.