Promoting Participation in African High Schools: A Scoping Review.
Lomarie Thesnaar, Monique De Wit, Fasloen Adams and 1 others
PMID 42458785WHAT IT FOUND
None of the 15 school-based occupational therapy studies for adolescents reviewed were conducted in Africa, and most were not suitable for the African context.
Four showed some promise but none addressed spirituality. A gap the authors flag as critical.
Key findings
01None of the 15 included studies were conducted in Africa; more than 90% were conducted in the United States or other high-income countries.
02Four of the 15 interventions showed the most promise for adaptation to the African context, sharing features such as group delivery, minimal equipment, and community collaboration.
03None of the included interventions addressed the spiritual needs of adolescents, which the authors identify as a key contextual gap for African practice.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only English-language, peer-reviewed articles were included; grey literature, books, and non-English sources were excluded, which the authors note may have missed relevant African research. No Level I or II evidence was found among the 15 included studies; the evidence base consists of case reports and case-control designs. The review only captured interventions conducted by occupational therapists, excluding other professionals who may deliver similar school-based interventions. The review focused specifically on participation promotion, so other OT roles in high schools (assessment, policy, advocacy) were not captured.
Declared interests
No funding was received. The authors declare no conflicts of interest and state their opinions are their own, not those of Stellenbosch University.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the identification of four 'suitable' interventions as evidence that they work in African schools. None of the 15 included studies were actually conducted in Africa, and the evidence base contains no Level I or II studies. The suitability assessment is the authors' framework-based judgement, not a tested outcome.