Abstract
BACKGROUND: This scoping review protocol aims to examine the current evidence base on the experiences, barriers, and facilitators of infant and young child feeding (IYCF) among adolescent mothers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The review will help to identify the nature and extent of available research in this area and highlight evidence and knowledge gaps for future research. The work is significant because of the urgent need to understand the unique challenges faced by adolescent mothers in SSA and inform the development of evidence-based interventions to improve IYCF practices. METHODS: The review will be guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. A comprehensive search strategy will be employed to identify relevant studies from electronic databases, grey literature, and additional sources. Four independent reviewers will conduct study selection, data extraction, and quality appraisal. Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model system levels will be used as a guiding framework to code, interpret and frame the results by identifying experiences, barriers, and enablers influencing IYCF practices at microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem levels. Furthermore, the review will highlight gaps in existing literature, providing valuable insights for future research and evidence-based interventions. DISCUSSION: The study is aligned with global efforts to address child malnutrition and emphasizes the importance of evidence-based interventions in SSA and findings will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presentation at national and international conferences. The protocol has been registered prospectively on the Open Science Framework ( https://osf.io/h7kzw ).