Exploring the role of group support models for HIV prevention among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): a scoping review.

According to the 2025 report by the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 19.8 million people die from cardiovascular diseases worldwide each year, accounting for nearly one-third of all deaths (). Although substantial progress has been made in cardiovascular disease prevention and control across the continuum of care, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term management, numerous challenges remain in real-world implementation (). The widespread adoption of early screening, pharmacological therapies, and device-based interventions has significantly reduced cardiovascular disease mortality. However, surgical treatment, long-term medication use, and their potential adverse effects and complications may continue to have a sustained impact on patients’ quality of life (, ). Across the disease trajectory, patients must sustain long-term lifestyle interventions, risk-factor control, and monitoring for complications. This process is challenging, and many patients find it difficult to maintain such changes over time (). Because cardiovascular diseases involve complex processes of behavioral management and psychosocial adaptation, patients and their families continue to face cognitive and emotional burdens during long-term treatment and adherence-related decision-making. Previous studies have shown that patients with cardiovascular diseases commonly experience multidimensional supportive care needs, including access to disease-related information, communication with healthcare professionals, treatment decision support, and guidance on managing side effects. When these needs remain unmet, they are often associated with lower quality of life and higher levels of anxiety and depression (). Health inequities may further exacerbate disparities in resource access; for example, some patients may have difficulty obtaining timely specialist consultations or continuous follow-up support, thereby limiting their capacity for long-term health management (, ). Against this backdrop, institution-centered healthcare service models are unable to fully meet patients’ continuous and individualized needs across the entire disease trajectory. With the development of digital health technologies and the rapid rise of social media in medical knowledge dissemination, how the public accesses health information is undergoing profound change. Before and after clinical consultations, patients actively search online for information related to diseases, medications, and treatments to help them understand clinical decisions and guide subsequent health behaviors (). Meanwhile, online communities and health forums provide spaces for patients to share experiences and receive emotional support, enabling access to important supportive resources beyond the traditional healthcare system (, ). In this process, social media functions not only as a channel for information dissemination but also as an integrated health support platform that combines information acquisition, emotional communication, and behavioral guidance.