The influence of community-level digital health interventions by peer educators on HIV/AIDS prevention among adolescents: A scoping review

Timely identification of HIV is crucial for mitigating transmission and enhancing treatment efficacy. Information and communication technology and digital media advancement have become integral to adolescent's daily lives. Platforms, including social media, instant messaging applications, and websites, offer novel avenues for disseminating health information, particularly on HIV/AIDS prevention. The peer educator model and digital media provide more interactive, personalized, and targeted dissemination of health messages. This study encompasses original research published in English, adhering to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses) guidelines. The search utilized Scopus, Science Direct, Pubmed, Medline, and Google Scholar data, covering selected publications from 2019 to 2024 during the last five years. The most notable rise transpired among the youngest demographic, specifically those aged 13 to 14, with an average knowledge increase of about 18%. Adolescents exposed to sexual and reproductive health education via peer discussion groups possessed superior awareness about HIV compared to those who were not exposed. Enhanced comprehension among students in the intervention group of HIV/AIDS, its transmission, and prevention methods. The control group students' knowledge did not improve during the post-test. The extent of peer educator engagement in HIV/AIDS knowledge among adolescents who received digital media intervention showed a significant increase of 1.90 times relative to the group that did not get such intervention (p<0.00001). The digital media intervention markedly enhanced peer educator engagement in HIV/AIDS awareness among adolescents. Digital media-based HIV screening initiatives are essential to improve access to HIV/AIDS information services.