Young women's contraceptive practices: a household survey in the city of São Paulo, Brazil

Changes in contraceptive use during the second COVID-19 lockdown in Brazil: A web-based survey

OBJECTIVE

We assessed contraceptive use changes during the second lockdown due to COVID-19 in Brazil and their associated factors.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a longitudinal web-based study in which 725 non-pregnant Brazilian women aged 18 to 49 completed an online structured survey about their contraceptive practices in two rounds in 2021. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze factors associated with contraceptive use changes during COVID-19.

RESULTS

Sixty percent reported they changed their contraceptive use during COVID-19, especially starting to use a method or switching to a more effective one (32%). In adjusted analysis, women who were ambivalent about a future pregnancy were more likely to switch to a more effective method (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.33, 95% CI 1.42-3.83) and to stop using contraceptive (aOR 3.64, 95% CI 1.91-6.91). Women with a partner were less likely to switch to a more effective method (aOR 0.61, 95% CI 0.39-0.93) and to stop using contraceptive (aOR 0.53, 95% CI 0.31-0.93), but more likely to switch to a less effective method (aOR 2.25, 95% CI 1.16-4.34). Age was also associated with contraceptive use changes.

CONCLUSIONS

Contraceptive use among Brazilian women during COVID-19 depended on their age and partnership status. During the period of the highest peak in the number of cases and deaths in the country, ambivalence towards a future pregnancy increased changes in contraceptive use.

IMPLICATIONS

Contraceptive changes were observed during a two-wave web-survey in Brazil depending on women's age and partnership status. Ambivalence towards a future pregnancy increased changes in contraceptive use and should be considered in future studies regarding sexual and reproductive health and COVID-19 as well as in family planning program implementation.

Reproductive health and rights, and public policies in Brazil: revisiting challenges during covid-19 pandemics

We revisit the debates on reproductive health and rights (RHR) and public policies in Brazil, with focus on contraception, abortion and maternity care. These were part of a broader political agenda for re-democratisation, and for health sector reform, with the creation of the Women's Integral Health Program (PAISM) in 1983, and of the Universal Health System (SUS) in 1988. The momentum created by ICPD in Cairo (1994) was essential to institutionalise the language of RHR. Not without resistance and organised activism, recent years of right-wing governments brought a disinvestment in most public policies for women's rights. Some components of the RHR agenda are more mainstreamed, such as fertility regulation, especially hormonal and long term-methods. The limited legal rights to abortion are poorly institutionalised and constantly threatened. Maternal care tends to be highly medicalised and frequently abusive. The covid-19 pandemic accelerated social and public health disruption. The article addresses notions such as reproductive justice and institutional violence, present in the early days of women's health movement, in order to highlight important premises that were diluted in the debate on reproductive rights and autonomy. The historical analysis of how these concepts evolved locally and globally can allow a better understanding of present challenges.

[Contraceptive dynamics before and after the use of emergency contraception: contraceptive discontinuities and bridging]

The study's objectives were to estimate the occurrence of bridging, that is, the degree to which women that had not been using contraceptive methods began to use them in the month following the use of emergency contraception, and to estimate the rates of contraceptive discontinuity before and after the use of emergency contraception. Data collection occurred through a retrospective daily history on the use of methods in the 30 days before and after the use of emergency contraception, with 2,051 users of primary health care units in São Paulo, Aracaju (Sergipe), and Cuiabá (Mato Grosso), Brazil. The study's results showed that on average, women began their use of the method 7.6 days (SD = 2.4) after the use of emergency contraception, and that discontinuity occurred 17.1 days (SD = 7.0) after its use. Most of the women used the method continuously 30 days before (44.4%) and 30 days after (65.7%) emergency contraception. Only 8.1% of the women who had not been using the method before emergency contraception used it afterwards (bridging). Age 35 years or older (OR = 1.8; 95%CI: 1.4-2.6) was associated with the use of contraceptive methods after the use of emergency contraception among women who had not been using methods before. Residence in Aracaju (OR = 0.7; 95%CI: 0.4-0.9) showed an inverse association. In conclusion, a negligible portion of women who had not been using contraceptive methods before emergency contraception began using them afterwards (bridging).

Prevalence and inequalities in contraceptive use among adolescents and young women: data from a birth cohort in Brazil

Monitoring trends of contraceptive use and identifying the groups with less coverage are needed to guide public policies and make them more efficient. But, in Brazil, recent data about these aspects are limited. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of contraceptive use and its inequalities during adolescence and early adulthood. Data from the 1993 Pelotas birth cohort, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, were used. At 15, 18 and 22 years, respectively, 335, 1,458 and 1,711 women reported having started their sexual lives and were included in analysis. Prevalence and 95% confidence intervals were obtained to describe the most used contraceptive methods. Inequalities in modern contraceptive use were evaluated according to wealth index, scholastic backwardness and ethnicity. In all follow-ups, more than 80% of women used at least one modern method. The use of barrier methods decreased with age; at 22 this prevalence was 36.3%. Such use concomitant with other modern methods was lower than 50% in all follow-ups. We observed inequalities in the use of modern contraceptive methods, mainly in barrier methods used with other modern methods. These findings may contribute and improve the public policies in family planning.

[Unsafe abortions in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: magnitude and time trend from 2008 to 2017]

Data on unsafe abortions are scarce, and estimates based on hospitalizations have pointed to a decline in recent years. The study aimed to analyze the time trend in unsafe abortions in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 2008 to 2017. We used secondary data on hospitalizations in the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS) due to complications of abortion in childbearing-age women (CAW) 15 to 44 years of age. We applied indirect estimation with a correction factor based on national and state data. We calculated the unsafe abortion rate per CAW (UAR-CAW), ratio of unsafe abortions per live births (RUA-LB), according to age bracket. We also calculated new indicators: spontaneous abortion rate (SAR) and unspecified abortion rate (USAR) per CAW; ratio of spontaneous abortions (RSA) and ratio of unspecified abortions (RUSA) per live births, independently of age. Time trend was calculated by Joinpoint regression, calculating the annual percent change (APC) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). The women that most induced abortions were 20 to 24 years of age, with UAR of 8 per 1,000. Pregnancies that ended in unsafe abortion were most frequent in the 40-44-year bracket: UAR of 16 to 20 per 100 live births. Adolescents showed a reduction in UAR from 2015 to 2017 (APC = -10; 95%CI: -18.2; -1.1), while there was an increase in women 40-44 years of age from 2008 to 2017 (APC = 2.2; 95%CI 0.5 to 4.0). The other age brackets and the indicator UAR-LB showed stability. SAR (APC = -3.5; 95%CI: -5.9; -1.0), and RSA (APC = -3.8; 95%CI: -6.3; -1.2) decreased, while USAR (APC = 6.6; 95%CI: 1.7; 11.8) and RUSA (APC = 6.4; 95%CI: 1.6; 11.3) increased during the period. The magnitude and time trend of unsafe abortions in the State of Rio de Janeiro differed according to age bracket and ICD-10 code.

Knowledge and risk perception of vulnerable women on Zika virus infection at primary health care level in Brazil

Vulnerable low-income groups were most affected by Zika virus (ZIKV)-related neurologic syndrome during the 2014-2016 outbreak in Brazil. Major ZIKV infection response took place in Primary Health Care (PHC), including prevention strategies and risk communication. We aimed to detect knowledge and beliefs, as well as knowledge gaps among vulnerable women at the PHC level. A cross-sectional study was carried out in two low-income urban community settings: a small municipality with few ZIKV infection cases and a large municipality hard-hit by the epidemic. An open-ended data collection instrument centred on ZIKV infection knowledge, sources of information, possible causes, symptoms, risk perception, consequences for pregnant women and PHC point-of-care communication was developed. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and content coded for thematic analysis. Most of the seventy-nine respondents had some knowledge of the disease, acknowledging the vector as the source of infection and associating microcephaly with the disease, but distanced themselves from possible ZIKV infection and related risk. PHC services in both communities did not adequately communicate risk for women and children. In an uncertain future scenario as to disease re-emergence, awareness may be diminished and acquired knowledge lost, configuring a public health challenge that must be overcome.

[Emergency contraceptive use among women attending Primary Health Care services in three Brazilian capital cities]

Little is known regarding the use of emergency contraception among women from different regions of Brazil. The use of emergency contraception as well as contraceptive methods before and after coitus was analyzed. This cross-sectional study assessed the use of emergency contraception by interviewing 2,051 women aged between 18 and 49 attending 76 basic health units in three capitals: São Paulo-SP, Aracaju-SE and Cuiabá-MT. Aspects associated with the use of emergency contraception were analyzed by means of multiple logistic regression. Over half of the women reported the use of emergency contraception (56.7%). Having a high level of education, being from a more privileged socioeconomic group, having a paid job and having had four or more sexual partners were associated with the use of emergency contraception. Being 35 years of age or older and being in a stable relationship was negatively associated. The last time they used emergency contraception, 53.2% used another method, with the male condom and oral pill being the most frequent. Of those who did not use the method, half adopted the regular method after using it (51.7%). The conclusion drawn is that emergency contraception is widely used and does not appear to affect the use of the regular contraceptive method.

Individual and context correlates of the oral pill and condom use among Brazilian female adolescents

Background

Studies have examined the impact of contextual factors on the use of contraceptives among adolescents and found that many measures of income and social inequality are associated with contraceptive use. However, few have focused on maternal and primary health indicators and its influence on adolescent contraceptive use. This paper assesses whether maternal mortality rates, antenatal care visits, and primary healthcare coverage are associated with pill and condom use among female adolescents in Brazil.

Methods

We used data from the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA), a national, school-based cross-sectional study conducted in Brazil. A subsample of all female adolescents who had ever had sexual intercourse and were living in one of the 26 State capitals and the Federal District was selected (n = 7415). Multilevel mixed effects logistic regression models were estimated to examine the effect of contextual variables on pill and condom use.

Results

Sixty-five percent of female adolescents reported using pill while 21.9% reported using condom during the last sexual intercourse. Adolescents living in municipalities with low maternal mortality and high antenatal care coverage were significantly more likely to use pill during the last sexual intercourse compared to those from municipalities with high maternal mortality and low antenatal care coverage. Primary healthcare coverage (proportion of the population covered by primary healthcare teams) was not significantly associated with either condom or pill use during the last sexual intercourse.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that promoting the use of pill among female adolescents may require approaches to strengthen healthcare systems rather than those focused solely on individual attributes.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12905-021-01447-6.

Sexual Practices During Adolescence

Adolescence is characterized by significant biological and psychological changes. During this time, the increased production of androgens leads to increased sexual behavior, and this may contribute to early initiation of sexual activity. The objectives of the present cross-sectional study of adolescents enrolled in state schools in the city of Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo, Brazil, were to determine the average age at the first sexual intercourse (sexarche), the average number of sexual partners, and the frequency of contraceptive and condom use. Information on the age at sexarche, number of sexual partners, use of different contraceptive methods, and use of condoms were obtained using a semistructured questionnaire. Quantitative variables are expressed as means and standard deviations (SDs), and qualitative variables as absolute and relative frequencies. The chi-squared test was used for comparisons of qualitative variables, and the Student t-test for comparisons of continuous variables. All statistical analyses were performed using SAS (version 9.4, North Carolina State University, USA). We evaluated 202 students who answered the questionnaire, 69 males (36.36%) and 133 females (63.64%). The age at sexarche for men ranged from 7 to 18 years old, and for women from 7 to 17 years old. Forty-eight girls (36.01%) and 21 boys (30.43%) were in the first year of high school, 66.94% of adolescents reported sexual intercourse, and 56.25% used a condom during the first sexual intercourse. A total of 36.72% of students said they had safe sex most of the time, and 83.59% said that the first sexual intercourse happened because they "had a crush on" the other person.

Behind bars: the burden of being a woman in Brazilian prisons

Background

Brazil has the third largest prison population in the world. In 2016, the female prison population totaled 42,000, an increase of 656% over the population recorded in the early 2000s. The objective of this study was to describe the socialeconomic and reproductive health of women in Brazilian prisons, and the specific assistance received within the prison system.

Methods

This is a first of its kind national survey conducted in 15 female prisons in eight Brazilian states between 2014 and 2015. The sample consisted of 1327 women in closed or semi-open prison regimes. Data collection used Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviewing (ACASI). STATA v.15. Was use in analysis. The study was submitted to the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Ceará, under CEP protocol No. 1,024,053.

Results

The population was overwhelmingly Black or Brown, poor and little educated. When women worked previously, they had worked as domestic servants and were the sole source of income for their families. Most were mothers, with 39% having children less than 10 years old, now in the care of others. Most were in jail for drug-related crimes. Prisons were crowded, with more than 2/3rds of the inmates sharing a cell with 6 or more inmates. Services were provide, but women had not had a cervical cancer screening within the past 3 years and breast cancer screening was not conducted.

Conclusions

Overall, given their backround and prison conditions they are unlikely to change the circumstances that brought them to prison in the first place.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12914-020-00247-7.

[Differences in contraceptive practice in the city of São Paulo, Brazil: results of the Ouvindo Mulheres population survey]

Contraception is essential for women to be able to regulate their fertility, exercising a key dimension of reproductive rights. However, little is known about how women deal with this challenge in Brazil's largest city, São Paulo. To fill this gap, the population survey Ouvindo Mulheres: Contracepção no Município de São Paulo was conducted with a probabilistic sample of 4,000 women 15 to 44 years of age living in this city in 2015. This article presents the prevalence of contraceptive practice and analyzes factors associated with lack of contraception use and with types of contraceptives. Prevalence of contraception was estimated for women with at least one heterosexual relation in the 12 months prior to the interview and who were not pregnant. Logistic regression was used to verify factors associated with lack of contraception use, and the CHAID model was used to identify associations with the types of contraceptives used. Prevalence of contraception was 84.8% (95%CI: 83.2-86.3). The most prevalent contraceptives were the pill and condoms. Factors associated with lack of contraceptive use were religion (Pentecostal), number of children (fewer than 3), not having used contraceptives in the first sexual relation, not having a partner, and not having had sex in the previous month. Number of children and woman's age were the first two levels of discrimination of the types of contraceptives used. Prevalence of contraception was high, but maintaining a concentration in two methods: historically, female sterilization and the pill prevailed, nowadays, the pill and condoms do. New hormonal contraceptives should be incorporated by the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS), besides promoting the use of long-acting methods such as IUDs.

Dating Applications, Sexual Behaviors, and Attitudes of College Students in Brazil's Legal Amazon

Although dating applications (apps) have become popular among young adults, there is a dearth of information regarding the sexual health implications among Brazilian college students. This study examined risky sexual behavior and attitudes of dating app users, based on their sex in Brazil’s Legal Amazon. Three hundred and fifty-nine students reported their sociodemographic data, dating app use, and sexual behaviors and attitudes through self-administered questionnaires. Bivariate analyses and analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni post-hoc tests were performed. Dating app use was reported by 238 (66.3%) subjects, most of whom had an encounter and sex with a casual partner. Women frequently requested condom use. Trust in one’s partner or having repeated encounters were the main reasons for engaging in risky sexual behavior. Men had a greater number of sexual partners and less protective attitudes. Sexual health awareness by apps was not reported by 97% of women, and most of them were not tested for sexually transmitted infections. A positive attitude toward sexual health was not a predictor of safe sex. Important similarities and differences regarding risky sexual behaviors and attitudes were observed between the sexes, many of which correlated with increased sexual vulnerability during the sexual encounters arranged through the dating apps. This cross-sectional study supports efforts on sexual health promotion and sexual education implementation in the face of growing usage of apps among young adults for sexual matters.

Trends in the Incidence of Breast Cancer Following the Radiological Accident in Goiânia: A 25-Year Analysis

Background:

The largest radiological accident to occur in any urban area happened in Goiânia, Brazil, in 1987. One major concern regarding deleterious effects in the population was a possible increase in the breast cancer incidence. This study analyzed trends in the incidence of breast cancer over the 25-year period following the radiological accident.

Methods:

This ecological, population-based study was conducted to determine the incidence of breast cancer in female residents of Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil, between 1988 and 2012. The data were collected from the Goiânia population-based cancer registry. Crude and age-standardized incidence rates were calculated. The Joinpoint software program was used to calculate annual percent changes (APC) in the incidence of breast cancer.

Results:

Overall, 7,365 new cases of breast cancer were identified, with an annual crude incidence rate of 23.09/100,000 women in 1988 and of 71.65/100,000 women in 2012. The age-standardized incidence rate was 35.63/100,000 women in 1988 and 65.63/100,000 women in 2012. Analysis of the APC showed a significant annual increase of 4.8% in the incidence between 1988 and 2005 (p<0.0001) followed by stabilization in 2005-2012, with an APC of -3.5% (p=0.1).

Conclusion:

There was an increase in the incidence of breast cancer in the female residents of Goiânia, Goiás in the first 17 years of evaluation (1988-2004) followed by a period of stabilization until 2012. However, the trends in the incidence suggest a lack of association with the radiological accident.

[Adolescent and youth access to primary health care services in a city in the state of Bahia, Brazil]

The study sought to analyze the association between adolescents and young adults' access to primary health care services and Family Health Strategy (FHS) services. It is a cross-sectional study based on a household survey of 812 individuals aged between 15 and 24 years in Camaçari, Bahia State, Brazil, through cluster sampling. Demographic, socioeconomic, health and health service variables were used to describe the population according to primary health care area. The association between primary health care coverage area and access to its services, access barriers and participation in educational activities were estimated through prevalence ratios (PR) using multilevel logistic regression models in the R software. Access to primary health care services was reported by 89.5% of individuals, with no statistically significant differences between this type of access and primary health care coverage area. However, among individuals who reside in areas covered by FHS, there was greater access to harm reduction and health promotion actions (PR = 3.0; 95%CI: 1.68-5.34), but also lower probability of being seen by a health worker on the same day the appointment was scheduled (PR = 0.60; 95%CI: 0.48-0.74) and lower availability of public transportation (RP = 0.59; 95%CI: 0.39-0.90). Study results point to a high prevalence of access to primary health care services among adolescents and young adults. Though we did not observe a difference in access between areas with FHS coverage, young people's greater participation in prevention and health promotion activities reinforces this strategy's importance within Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS).