Page 5 - Technical Report: ADOLESCENT SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH IN MALAYSIA: A SCOPING REVIEW

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Overall, adolescence is an opportune period to cultivate healthy sexual and reproductive health.
Adolescence is the period during which a person's physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and
economic resources are formed, laying the groundwork for later life and health. It is also a period
of constant physical, mental, and social development, as well as a time when many individuals
explore their sexuality and form relationships with others.

To our knowledge, the World Health Organization published the only extensive review of
adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Malaysia, which was published in 2007. The goal of
this review is to provide comprehensive evidence on trends, behavioural factors, and interventions
that can help guide future research and facilitate a better understanding of adolescent sexual and
reproductive health in Malaysia so that adolescent health services can be strengthened and
improved.

The review process has at least five stages. Using resources such as Google Scholar, MEDLINE, and
PubMed, we found relevant studies related to adolescent sexual and reproductive health in

Malaysia between 2004 and 2018. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-
Analyses (PRISMA) criteria were used to select the studies (PRISMA).

The search yielded 8,626 results, with 6,866 of them coming from database searches and 1,760
from grey literature. After removing 6,412 duplicate records, there were just 2,214 entries left.
Finally, 138 articles met the inclusion criteria. Teenage pregnancy and unsafe sex, according to the
study, are all negative effects of risky sexual behaviour. Major topics included the importance of
individual morality and religion in sexual and reproductive health, parenting, psychological
aspects, and how sexual decision-making influences teenagers' perceptions of premarital sex.

The majority of the research emphasised the need to strengthen intervention efforts to prevent
the negative consequences of risky sexual behaviour. This input can be categorised into a number
of different intervention strategies, such as community-based, family-based, and school-based
interventions, as well as religious and moral education. Several recommendations are presented,

including improving early adolescent sexual and reproductive health education. Programs are
geared towards specific populations. To meet the unmet needs of these adolescent subgroups, a
comprehensive approach, interagency collaboration, and coordination among numerous
stakeholders would be required. The significance of looking into out-of-school youth is that certain
groups of Malaysian youths have been under-researched in terms of sexual and reproductive
health.

Apart from that, because certain programmes now emphasize the development of life skills such as
decision-making and self-efficacy, in order to equip adolescents with the ability to resist peer
pressure and understand their right to sexual health information and services, culturally sensitive
intervention strategies are required. In Sabah and Sarawak, more research on sexual and
reproductive health is needed among adolescents. As this study demonstrates, adolescents engage
in sexual behaviour for a variety of reasons or factors. While some studies have shown favourable
results in terms of enhancing sexual health education, awareness, and positive attitudes and
behaviours, more evidence-based, culturally relevant, and adolescent-friendly interventions are
needed.