Evidence on factors influencing contraceptive use and sexual behavior in South Africa

BACKGROUND: Contraceptive use and sexual health behavior remain a prominent public health concern in South Africa. Despite many government interventions, unplanned pregnancies, number of abortions, and maternal mortality remain relatively high. Due to high pregnancy levels and the stigma associated with termination of pregnancy, more women turn to unsafe and illegal abortions despite the risks involved. Risky sexual behavior pose a serious risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. The main objective of this study is to map evidence on factors influencing contraceptive use and sexual behavior in South Africa. METHODS: We will conduct a scoping review guided by framework by Arksey and O'Malley. This study will search for eligible literature from peer-reviewed articles and grey literature. Databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, American Doctoral Dissertations via EBSCO host, Union Catalogue of Theses and Dissertations (UCTD) and SA ePublications via SABINET Online and World Cat Dissertations, Theses via OCLC, and Google Scholar will be searched. Websites such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and governmental websites and statistics institutions will be explored for policies and guidelines on contraceptive use and sexual behavior. The review will be conducted on studies that were published from January 1990 to 2018. The PCC framework will be employed in this study to determine the eligibility of research question. The PRISMA chart will be utilized to report the screening of results. The MMAT Tool version 11 will be used to determine the quality of the included primary studies. RESULTS: We anticipate finding a considerable number of published articles presenting evidence on contraceptive use and sexual health behavior in South Africa. Findings of this scoping review will be disseminated electronically, in print, and through peer presentation, conferences, and congresses.