Preventive practices towards Sexually Transmitted Infection and its determinants among young people in Ethiopia: a protocol for a systematic review and Meta-analysis
Abstract Background: Globally, about 178.5 million new cases of curable sexually transmitted infections occur among young people aged 15-24 years. There are fragmented and inconsistent findings on preventive practices of sexually transmitted infection. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of preventive practices of sexually transmitted infection and identify its determinants among young people in Ethiopia. Methods: We will use the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) to develop the review protocol. We will use online databases such as PubMed, CINAH, Google, and Google Scholar to search published and unpublished studies. We will use the Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument to assess the quality. We will check statistical heterogeneity using the Cochran Q test and I2 statistics. We will perform subgroup analyses and meta-regression to identify the sources of heterogeneity. The statistical analysis will be done using STATA version-14 software. We will use a random-effects model to estimate the pooled prevalence and identify determinants of preventive practices of sexually transmitted infections. Discussion: Young people have a high unmet need for sexual and reproductive health services and poor preventive practices toward sexually transmitted infection. Although there are studies on the sexually transmitted infection preventive practice, there is no study finding on the pooled prevalence of the preventive practices of sexually transmitted infection and its determinants among young people in Ethiopia. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis will help to develop appropriate interventions.