Mapping Evidence of Gender and HIV-Related Health Literacy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review

Abstract

In sub-Saharan Africa, monitoring and evaluation of outcomes of health literacy are critical to the response to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). As guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, this scoping review explores the nexus between gender and HIV-related health literacy. PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Taylor and Francis Group constituted the sources of literature. The study analysed emerging themes using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) chart. From 2048 articles, the final analysis focused on 37 articles. Generally, women had lower education levels than men. Low HIV-related health literacy manifested among women residing in rural and under-served settings. A dearth of research addressing HIV from a gender perspective was identified. Future studies on HIV-related health literacy should consider gender mainstreaming in their endeavours.