• E L Davids, T Kredo, Gerritsen A A M AAM, C Mathews, N Slingers, M Nyirenda, and F Abdullah.
• Cochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town; and Adolescent Health Research Unit, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa. eugene.davids@mrc.ac.za.
• S. Afr. Med. J. 2020 Aug 31; 110 (9): 855-857.

AbstractSexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) remain inadequate - both globally and in South Africa (SA). We systematically scoped the available policies and guidelines for SRH-related policy for AGYW in SA. We found many available policies and guidelines to address issues of family planning, HIV prevention and care and antenatal and maternal care. Despite the wealth of guidance, SA's high rates of pregnancy and HIV transmission continue unabated. Our policy review and analysis identified issues for researchers and policymakers to consider when developing and implementing programmes to improve SRH services. We suggest that considering national policies alongside evidence of what is effective, as well as contextual barriers to and enablers of strategies to address AGYW needs for SRH, are among the key steps to addressing the policy-to-implementation gap.

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