Effect of mHealth Interventions on Cervical Cancer Screening Practices Among Women of Reproductive Age in Africa: A Scoping Review

Background: Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality among women in sub-Saharan Africa, despite the availability of effective screening and early treatment strategies. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have emerged as promising tools to improve screening uptake, engagement, and continuity of care. However, evidence on their effectiveness, acceptability, feasibility, and implementation contexts across African health systems remains fragmented. Objective: This scoping review synthesizes contemporary evidence on the effectiveness, acceptability, feasibility, and implementation contexts of mHealth interventions for cervical cancer screening in Africa, and identifies barriers, facilitators, and knowledge gaps to inform future research, policy, and programmatic efforts toward cervical cancer elimination. Methods: This review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and is reported in accordance with the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Peer-reviewed and grey literature published between January 2020 and December 2025 were searched across PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, African Journals Online, ScienceDirect, WHO databases, and Google Scholar. Eligible studies evaluated mHealth interventions designed to influence cervical cancer screening behaviors among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in African settings. Data were charted and synthesized narratively using implementation science and health systems frameworks. Results: Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. Evidence suggests that mHealth interventions—particularly SMS reminders, mobile educational tools, and digital result delivery—can moderately increase cervical cancer screening uptake when embedded within functional service delivery systems. Acceptability was generally high, with women valuing convenience and privacy, although concerns regarding confidentiality and phone sharing were noted. Feasibility varied across settings and was influenced by infrastructure, digital literacy, and health system readiness. Key barriers included structural constraints, sociocultural norms, and service delivery gaps, while facilitators included provider recommendation, health education, convenience, and integration with community-based services. Evidence gaps remain regarding long-term effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, equity impacts, and scalability.