The Current Status of Culturally Appropriate Self-management Education Programs For Women of Reproductive Age Living with Hiv/aids: Scoping Review

Women of Reproductive Age (WRA) living with HIV/AIDS face challenges in managing their condition due to cultural, social, and structural barriers. Culturally appropriate Self-Management Education Programs (SMEPs) offer promising strategies to enhance engagement in HIV care and psychosocial well-being. However, limited evidence exists on how these programs integrate cultural dimensions into HIV care and management.

This scoping review aimed to identify and synthesize evidence on culturally adapted SMEPs for Women of Reproductive Age (WRA) living with HIV/AIDS, with a focus on how cultural factors are incorporated into program design and delivery.

The review followed Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) reporting guidelines. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and grey literature sources (https://opengrey.eu/) from 2013 to 2024. Studies were included if they focused on culturally tailored SMEPs for WRA living with HIV/AIDS.

Fifteen studies were included and analysed thematically.

Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the studies were Thematic analysis revealed five core themes: (1) cultural competence in HIV care; (2) impact of cultural alignment on HIV self-management outcomes; (3) facilitators of SMEP implementation; (4) barriers to culturally appropriate care; and (5) implementation strategies for SMEPs. Studies reported improved Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) adherence, viral suppression, and psychosocial outcomes when SMEPs incorporated culturally congruent content, peer-led delivery, and community-based methods. Barriers included stigma, patriarchal norms, and limited healthcare access, while facilitators encompassed peer support, family involvement, and culturally sensitive curricula.

The findings of the study underscore that a culturally tailored self-management education program enhances psychological well-being, ART adherence, and engagement in HIV care among women of reproductive age. The results highlight the significance of integrating cultural competence into HIV programs to ensure equity, sustainability, and broader global applicability in diverse healthcare settings.

The review underscores the potential of culturally tailored SMEPs to improve health and psychosocial outcomes among women living with HIV/AIDS. However, interventions remain unevenly distributed and often lack standardization in cultural adaptation. Future efforts should prioritize inclusive program design, implementation in underrepresented regions, and evaluation frameworks that account for diverse cultural contexts.