Text, talk, screen: mapping mHealth interventions for cervical cancer prevention and control in Africa - a scoping review

Cervical cancer continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women in Africa. Screening coverage across the continent remains significantly below the World Health Organization's 90-70-90 targets. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies offer a scalable solution to improve outreach, screening, vaccination, and follow-up in resource-limited settings. Thus, this scoping review aims to systematically map the existing evidence on mHealth interventions for the prevention and control of cervical cancer in Africa.

This scoping review adopted the methodological framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley and refined by Levac et al. A systematic search was conducted across CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science, complemented by manual searches. Studies published in English between 2016 and 2026 were eligible. From an initial set of 550 records, 32 studies met the inclusion criteria and underwent subsequent data extraction and thematic analysis.

mHealth interventions included messaging, voice communication, and awareness-raising (n = 14), image-based diagnosis with tele-expert review (n = 11), digital apps for decision-making and support (n = 3), baseline and feasibility studies (n = 3), and provider education and training (n = 5). Stages of the cervical cancer care continuum were not mutually exclusive: studies addressed screening (n = 22), diagnosis and treatment (n = 9), primary prevention/HPV vaccination (n = 3), post-treatment follow-up (n = 1), and workforce and system-capacity interventions (n = 2). Electronic devices used included smartphones (n = 12), basic mobile phones (n = 13), computer- and cloud-based devices (n = 3), a digital camera (n = 1), a tablet (n = 1), and unspecified mobile phones (n = 2). Outcomes included diagnostic accuracy, feasibility and acceptability, treatment uptake, provider competence, and vaccination uptake. Facilitators included high mobile phone ownership and real-time expert support, while challenges involved sustainability, health systems, connectivity, privacy and confidentiality concerns, low literacy, and language barriers.

mHealth shows promise for cervical cancer prevention and control in Africa. Realizing this potential at scale requires investing in underrepresented care stages, addressing connectivity and health-system barriers, and conducting rigorous multi-country research beyond pilot evidence.