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Our study aims to assess what evidence is available for MPHSS interventions for children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the East Asia and Pacific region. Our goals are to describe existing interventions with demonstrated success in the region, as well as identify geographic regions and intervention types that require further research and innovation. We will conduct a broad and comprehensive search, ranging from qualitative evaluations to high-quality RCTs. The interventions and outcomes evaluated in this review are too diverse to allow a quantitative synthesis of study findings. Instead, an ‘evidence gap mapping’ process will be conducted, based on the approach described by Snilsveit et al and utilised by the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation. A narrative synthesis will also be conducted, describing the types and strength of evidence available for mental health and psychosocial wellbeing interventions for children and adolescents in the region.

Objectives The 22 countries of the East Mediterranean Region (EMR) have large populations of adolescents aged 10–24 years. These adolescents are central to assuring the health, development, and peace of this region. We described their health needs. Methods Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 (GBD 2015), we report the leading causes of mortality and morbidity for adolescents in the EMR from 1990 to 2015. We also report the prevalence of key health risk behaviors and determinants. Results Communicable diseases and the health consequences of natural disasters reduced substantially between 1990 and 2015. However, these gains have largely been offset by the health impacts of war and the emergence of non-communicable diseases (including mental health disorders), unintentional injury, and self-harm. Tobacco smoking and high body mass were common health risks amongst adolescents. Additionally, many EMR countries had high rates of adolescent pregnancy and unmet need for contraception. Conclusions Even with the return of peace and security, adolescents will have a persisting poor health profile that will pose a barrier to socioeconomic growth and development of the EMR. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00038-017-1003-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objective: To assess the extent and quality of the evidence base related to the health and wellbeing of young Indigenous Australians. Study design: Systematic review of peer-reviewed literature; grading of quality of literature; mapping of sample characteristics and study foci. Data sources: English language publications, 1 Jan 1994 - 1 Jan 2011 in MEDLINE, ERIC, CINAHL, EMBASE, ATSIhealth, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library and the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet. Study selection: Inclusion criteria were: published 1 Jan 1994 - 1 Jan 2011; original peer-reviewed research; reported data for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders aged 10-24 years; focused on health and wellbeing. Grading for quality included ascertainment of Indigenous status, representativeness of the sample for the target population, and quality of measures of exposure and outcome. Data synthesis: 360 peer-reviewed publications met inclusion criteria; 90 (25%) exclusively sampled Indigenous young people. 250 studies (69%) were of good-quality design; 124 of these focused on health outcomes (15 of these evaluated an intervention) and 116 focused on health-risk exposure (26 evaluative). The methodological quality of data improved during 1994- 2010; however, only 17% of studies focused on urban populations. A third of good-quality studies of health outcome focused on communicable diseases such as sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis. There was good-quality data for oral health and substance use, and some data for adolescent pregnancy. Data on mental disorders, injury and cause-specific mortality were limited. Conclusions: Despite improvements, there are important gaps in the evidence base for the health of young Indigenous Australians. Our study points to the need for greater research investment in urban settings and with regard to mental disorders and injury, with a further emphasis on trials of preventive and clinical intervention. Refereed/Peer-reviewed