Preventative interventions for early adolescent substance use in Sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review

Substance use among adolescents remains a significant public health concern globally, with far-reaching implications for physical health, psychological wellbeing, and academic achievement. While there is a growing emphasis on preventative interventions, there is limited literature that addresses early adolescents (ages 10-14), particularly within Sub-Saharan Africa, due to contextual, legal, and health-related constraints. Given the vulnerabilities associated with this developmental phase, early adolescence presents a critical window for implementing prevention efforts and building long-term resilience. This study aimed to map out existing literature on preventative interventions for early adolescent substance use in Sub-Saharan Africa, with an objective to identify gaps and assess the applicability of these interventions within the South African context. A scoping review was employed as the research design and methodology, and the research question was developed using the PCC (population, concept, context) mnemonic. Literature searches were conducted on the University of the Western Cape’s library system, Ukwazi, which is freely accessible to students registered at the university, and Covidence was used as an online data management application to manage the search process and enhance the rigour of the study. Ethics approval for the study was obtained from the Humanities and Social Science Research Ethics Committee (HSSREC) at the UWC (HS24/7/3). A total of 2128 references were retrieved, of which eight studies met the inclusion criteria and were analysed using Popay’s et al. (2006) narrative synthesis framework. The findings revealed three key themes: school-based interventions; family-structured strategies; and mass-media campaigns.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of the Western Cape

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Mgidi, Jane Nonhlanhla

• Early Adolescence
• Substance Use
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Interventions
• Prevention

Licence

• https://uwcscholar.uwc.ac.za/bitstreams/58b7bfe8-8a34-4e8c-bf8f-d934ab4fb453/download