Sexualidade, reprodução e saúde: experiências de adolescentes que vivem em município do interior de pequeno porte

Influence of preventive sex education programmes in compulsory secondary education students: a descriptive observational study

BACKGROUND

Sex education programmes conducted by health professionals and educators are essential for young people to adopt healthy habits and attitudes towards their sexuality. The Forma Joven Program, promoted by the Andalusian Regional Government's Ministry of Health and Families and Education, is a good example of this. The aim of the study is to determine if different "degrees of intervention" in the informative consultancies of the Forma Joven Program imply differences in knowledge and attitudes towards sexuality.

METHODS

This descriptive observational study analysed 27 Compulsory Secondary Education high schools in Huelva. These were included in the Program and belonged to a Primary Care Health District. Out of the 17 institutes initially selected because they met the inclusion criteria (4.256 students), finally 14 (3.596 students) participated. During the 2018/2019 school year, students from 3rd, 4th year of Secondary Compulsory Education (ESO), 1st, and 2nd Baccalaureate of the selected centres were asked to fill in a questionnaire of knowledge and attitudes towards sexuality. It collected variables such as age, sex, school year, institute, educational level and employment status of the father or mother and profile of the professional who delivers the counselling.

RESULTS

A total of 1.237 students completed the questionnaire, which represents a participation rate of 34.4%. The average age was 15.59 years (SD 1.26) and 39.9% were girls. In some evaluated questions, we found statistically significant differences between the groups with different levels of exposure to counselling and the acquisition of knowledge and attitudes towards students' sexuality, although in most of them no such differences were found. The results of this study suggest the importance of the quality of counselling over quantity. Some classic myths persist in relation to sexuality and in some situations, they can be decisive when adopting preventive measures to avoid risks related to pregnancy and contagion of STIs.

CONCLUSIONS

A greater number of counselling sessions does not imply acquiring a higher level of knowledge or better attitudes towards sexuality. Perhaps the quality of the education is more important than the quantity of counselling sessions.

Factors associated with family, school and behavioral characteristics on sexual initiation: A gender analysis for Brazilian adolescents

Adolescence is a period of transition between childhood and adulthood. The article aims to study the individual, family and school characteristics of adolescents beginning their sexual lives. The database we used was the 2015 PeNSE (National Adolescent School-based Health Survey) and the methodology was the survival analysis. The results show that boys initiate sexual activity before girls and risky behaviors associated with the use of licit and illicit drugs increase the chance of having early sex. In addition, this work highlights the importance of parental practices in reducing the chances of beginning sexual activity, as well as the presence of school workshops on the risks of pregnancy. It should be noted that intervention strategies need to be differentiated according to gender in order to increase effectiveness.

Association between the risk of alcohol use and unprotected sex in adolescents in a city in the southern region of Brazil

This paper aims to analyze alcohol abuse and unprotected sex and the association between them in students in a city in the southern region of Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study using a quantitative approach with 590 secondary school students from two public schools. Regarding alcohol use, 14% scored from eight to 40 in The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which means, at least, a risky drinking behavior, with higher rate among boys. Moreover, 31.1% indulged themselves in binge drinking, which means drinking six or more doses according to AUDIT; and even among those who are low- risk drinkers, 21.1% had this drinking pattern. Regarding sexual behavior, young boys started sexual life earlier and the kind of relationship more referred to by them is one with no commitment; boys have uncommitted relationships, while girls have more relationships with commitment. In relation to the results of the association between alcohol use and sexual intercourse, 47.3% stated alcohol use before having sex, and those who started sexual activity got more drunk and had higher scores in the AUDIT. New studies are recommended regarding the association between both behaviors in Brazil, considering that the causal relationship is not clear and shows several explanation models.

The game as strategy for approach to sexuality with adolescents: theoretical-methodological reflections

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe the Papo Reto [Straight Talk] game and reflect on its theoretical-methodological basis. Method: Analytical study on the process of elaboration of the Papo Reto online game, destined to adolescents aged 15-18 years, with access to the Game between 2014 and 2015. Results: the interactions of 60 adolescents from Belo Horizonte and São Paulo constituted examples of the potentialities of the Game to favor the approach to sexuality with adolescents through simulation of reality, invention and interaction. Based on those potentialities, four thinking categories were discussed: the game as pedagogic device; the game as simulation of realities; the game as device for inventive learning; and the game empowering the interaction. Conclusion: By permitting that the adolescents take risks on new ways, the Game allows them to become creative and active in the production of senses, in the creation of their discourses and in the ways of thinking, feeling and acting in the sexuality field.

Women's experience with contraception from the perspective of gender

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the experience of women with contraception from the perspective of gender.

METHODS

Qualitative and exploratory-descriptive study conducted at three basic healthcare units in the city of Lagoa Seca - PB, Brazil, with 15 women interviewed between January and May 2013. The content analysis technique was used to process the data.

RESULTS

Data analysis led to the core category 'women's contraceptive choices and their relationship with gender dynamics', that subsequently led to the subcategories 'unequal construction of gender identities in childhood and adolescence', 'outcome of gender dynamics in (contra)ception during adolescence', and ' medicalisation of the female body'.

CONCLUSIONS

It was observed that the experience with contraception is related to the dynamics of gender, with the outcome of teenage pregnancy and the medicalization of the body.

[Social representation of sexual violence and its relationship with the adherence to the chemoprophylaxis protocol of HIV in young women and adolescents]

The scope of this study was to understand the social representations of sexual violence and its relationship with adherence to the chemoprophylaxis protocol of HIV in young women and adolescents. Qualitative research was conducted based on the theory of social representations through recorded interviews with 13 female subjects aged between 12 and 23. It was observed that the social representations about sexual violence exerted a considerable influence on adherence to chemoprophylaxis treatment in the group. The individuals surveyed elaborated images in which the concern caused to the family, discomfort caused by the effects of drugs, change of routine, fear of getting sick, being stigmatized, anxiety and anger, appeared as constant elements, which can lead to the abandonment of treatment. Considering the influence of these representations on treatment, there is a need for greater attention of the health services in relation to these possibilities, and for resources to ensure care based on these different needs. In addition to investing in research into new drugs, it is necessary to invest in qualitative research, providing input for more appropriate care for patients.