Multimorbidity in adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.
Adolescent multimorbidity prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa ranged widely, up to 13.8%
Multimorbidity in adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.
Individuals living with two or more long-term health conditions, known as multimorbidity, experience poorer physical and mental well-being due to the incremental effect of co-existing conditions.
We aimed to describe the prevalence of adolescent multimorbidity in Sub-Saharan Africa.
We conducted a PROSPERO-registered systematic review (CRD42024513430), searching five databases (Medline, EMBASE, Global Health, SCOPUS, PsycINFO, PsycEXTRA, and Africa Index Medicus) for observational studies published in 2000-2024.
Here we show that 12 studies meet the inclusion criteria, out of 2824 potential studies.
No study includes common mental disorders.
Most individual conditions are objectively measured and have low prevalences ( < 10%).
This systematic review identified only 12 eligible studies, with substantial methodological heterogeneity limiting the comparability and generalizability of multimorbidity estimates.
Further adolescent-specific research focusing on enhancing the measurement of multimorbidity of conditions commonly affecting adolescents is required to allow accurate estimates and to inform healthcare provision.