Factors associated with sexual initiation and condom use among adolescents on Santiago Island, Cape Verde, West Africa

Foram analisados fatores associados ao início da vida sexual de adolescentes na Ilha de Santiago, Cabo Verde, segundo sexo. Estudo realizado com amostra probabilística e representativa de 768 adolescentes, age 13-17 anos, de escolas secundárias públicas da Ilha de Santiago em 2007. A associação foi testada pelo teste de proporção, qui-quadrado de Pearson ou Fisher e regressão logística. Nos rapazes, os fatores associados ao início da vida sexual foram: idade maior que 14 anos, ser católico e consumo de bebidas alcoólicas. Para meninas: escolaridade maior que nove anos e ter parceiro afetivo-sexual. Ao contrário de outros contextos da África Subsaariana, foram constatadas taxas elevadas de uso de preservativo por adolescentes no início da vida sexual. Os adolescentes podem iniciar a vida sexual de maneira mais segura se tiverem informação, educação sexual e acesso a métodos de prevenção à gravidez e às DST. Este artigo oferece elementos para a reflexão sobre o delineamento de políticas de redução da vulnerabilidade dos jovens às DST/AIDS e sobre os limites e desafios da promoção do uso do preservativo e educação sexual, focando as relações desiguais de gênero

ERICA: sexual initiation and contraception in Brazilian adolescents

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of sexual initiation and contraceptive use at the last sexual intercourse of Brazilian adolescents, according to sociodemographic features. METHODS The data were obtained from the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA), a national school-based cross-sectional study. We included 74,589 adolescents from 32 geographic strata (27 capitals and five sets of municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants of each of the five macro-regions of the Country). Information on sexual initiation and contraceptive use at the last sexual intercourse (male condom and oral contraceptive pill) has been used. We have estimated prevalence and confidence intervals (95%CI) considering sample weights according to sex, age, type of school, residence status, macro-region and capitals. RESULTS We observed that 28.1% (95%CI 27.0-29.2) of the adolescents had already initiated sexual life, with higher prevalence among those aged 17 years (56.4%, 95%CI 53.9-58.9), males (33.5%, 95%CI 31.8-35.2), studying at public schools (29.9%, 95%CI 28.5-31.4), and from the Northern region (33.9%, 95%CI 32.3-35.4), mainly from Macapa, Manaus, and Rio Branco. Among those who had started their sexual life, 82.3% (95%CI 81.1-83.4) reported the use of contraceptive methods at the last intercourse, and the prevalence of use was higher among adolescents aged 17 years (85.3%, 95%CI 82.7-87.6), females (85.2%, 95%CI 83.8-86.5) and those living in the Southern region (85.9%, 95%CI 82.9-88.5). Male condom was used by 68.8% (95%CI 66.9-70.7), with no difference by type of school or macro-regions; the contraceptive pill was used by 13.4% (CI95% 12.2-14.6), and more frequently used among women (24.7%, 95%CI 22.5-27,0) and 17-year-old adolescents (20.8%, 95%CI 18.2-23.6) from urban settings(13.7%, 95%CI 12.5-14.9) and from the Southern region (22.6%, 95%CI 19.0-26.8), and less often in the Northern region. CONCLUSIONS ERICA’s data analysis on sexuality and contraception shows heterogeneities in the prevalence of sexual initiation and use of contraceptive methods among Brazilian adolescents, depending on their age, where they live, and the type of school they study at. Younger adolescents and those living in the Northern region seem to be more vulnerable to the consequences of unprotected sexual intercourses.

Sexual initiation of U.S. Latino and Colombian high school students: Toward a new theory of adolescent sexuality and implications for sexual health prevention and promotion

The general research question for this dissertation was: do the data on adolescent sexual experiences and sexual initiation support the explicit or implicit adolescent sexuality theories informing the sexual health interventions currently designed for youth? To respond to this inquiry, three different studies were conducted. The first study included a conceptual and historical analysis of the notion of adolescence introduced by Stanley Hall, the development of an alternative model based on a positive view of adolescent sexuality, and the rationale for introducing to adolescent sexual health prevention programs the new definitions of sexual health and the social determinants of health approach. The second one was a quantitative study aimed at surveying not only adolescents' risky sexual behaviors but also sexual experiences associated with desire/pleasure which have been systematically neglected when investigating the sexual and reproductive health of the youth. This study was conducted with a representative sample of the adolescents attending public high schools in the State of Caldas in the Republic of Colombia. The third study was a qualitative analysis of 22 interviews conducted with male and female U.S. Latino adolescents on the reasons for having had or having not had vaginal sex. The more relevant results were: most current adolescent sexual health prevention programs are still framed in a negative approach to adolescent sexuality developed a century ago by Stanley Hall and Sigmund Freud which do not accept the adolescent sexual experience and propose its sublimation. In contrast, the Colombian study indicates that, although there are gender differences, adolescence is for males and females a normal period of sexual initiation not limited to coital activity, in which sexual desire/pleasure is strongly associated with sexual behavior. By the same token, the study about the reasons for having had or not had initiated heterosexual intercourse indicated that curiosity, sexual desire/pleasure, and love are basic motivations for deciding to have vaginal sexual intercourse for the first time and that during adolescence, young women and men reach the cognitive development necessary for taking conscious decisions about their sexual acts. The findings underline the importance of asking pertinent questions about desire/pleasure when studying adolescent sexuality and adopting an evidence-based approach to sexual health interventions.^

Danza movimiento terapia y abuso sexual

L'organització mundial de la salut, assenyala que la major part de les agressions sexuals tenen com a víctimes a dones i nenes, i són perpetrades per homes i nens. En alguns països, gairebé una de cada quatre dones ha estat víctima de violència sexual per part de la seva parella i fins a una tercera part de les adolescents han sofert una iniciació sexual forçada. Estudis especialitzats fan referència al percentatge de dones que han sofert alguna forma d'abús sexual abans dels 18 anys. En el mateix sentit, enquestes mundials assenyalen que entre el 10% i el 69% de les dones diuen haver estat agredides físicament per una parella masculina en algun moment de la seva vida. La violència sexual infantil provoca a les seves víctimes una sèrie de repercussions i seqüeles, psicològiques, emocionals, socials; compromet el desenvolupament integral de l'individu, i provoca l'aparició d'una sèrie de patologies a l'edat adulta. La present investigació fa una revisió teòrica de la violència sexual, de la violència de gènere, i de les aportacions del procés de recuperació a través de la dansa moviment teràpia d'aquesta població. També es mostra el recorregut del marc d'actuació dels organismes d'ordre públic de la ciutat de Barcelona per a l'atenció i detecció en casos d'abús sexual

School management and sexual behavior of teenagers

This paper asks whether school based management may help reducing risky sexual behavior of teenagers. For this purpose we use student level data from Bogot´a to identify students from Concession School (CS), who are enrolled in public education system with a more school management autonomy at school level, and to compare them with those students at the traditional public education system. We use propensity score matching methods to have a comparable sample between pupils at CS and traditional schools. Our results show that on average the behavior of students from CS do not have a sexual behavior that differs from those in traditional public schools except for boys in CS who have a lower probability of being sexual active. However, there are important differences when heterogeneity is considered. For example we find that CS where girls per boys ratio is higher have lower teenage pregnancy rates than public schools with also high girls per boys ratios. We also find that teachers’ human capital, teacher-pupil ratio or whether school offers sexual education are also related to statistically significant differences between CS and traditional public schools.

Educação sexual na escola a partir da psicologia histórico-cultural

Este artigo relata um projeto na área da Psicologia da Educação com referencial histórico-cultural. O projeto foi desenvolvido em uma escola de ensino fundamental que teve como objetivo oferecer educação sexual para adolescentes auxiliando-os para viverem com autonomia e responsabilidade sua sexualidade. A intervenção ocorreu em 15 encontros semanais, com o uso de diferentes estratégias metodológicas abrangendo os seguintes temas: 1) Identidade Grupal e levantamento de expectativas, 2) regras de convívio grupal, 3) Conceito de Sexualidade; 4) Conceito social de adolescência, 5) Fisiologia e saúde, 6) Saúde Sexual e reprodutiva, 7) Iniciação Sexual, 8) Gravidez na Adolescência, 9) Violência Sexual, 10) Padrões de Beleza e atitudes de discriminação e 11) Gênero e diversidade sexual. Alunos e professores avaliaram a proposta de intervenção como satisfatória e necessária na escola. Almeja-se a continuidade do projeto com outros alunos e oferecer formação aos professores.

Comportamento sexual e percepção do HIV/AIDS entre estudantes universitárias do IBILCE/UNESP de São José do Rio Preto

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Um estudo intergeracional sobre autonomia e iniciação sexual de universitárias e suas mães

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Examining Data from Texas and the US

Background: The US has higher rates of teen births and sexually transmitted infections (STI) than other developed countries. Texas youth are disproportionately impacted. Purpose: To review local, state, and national data on teens’ engagement in sexual risk behaviors to inform policy and practice related to teen sexual health. Methods: 2009 middle school and high school Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data, and data from All About Youth, a middle school study conducted in a large urban school district in Texas, were analyzed to assess the prevalence of sexual initiation, including the initiation of non-coital sex, and the prevalence of sexual risk behaviors among Texas and US youth. Results: A substantial proportion of middle and high school students are having sex. Sexual initiation begins as early as 6th grade and increases steadily through 12th grade with almost two-thirds of high school seniors being sexually experienced. Many teens are not protecting themselves from unintended pregnancy or STIs – nationally, 80% and 39% of high school students did not use birth control pills or a condom respectively the last time they had sex. Many middle and high school students are engaging in oral and anal sex, two behaviors which increase the risk of contracting an STI and HIV. In Texas, an estimated 689,512 out of 1,327,815 public high school students are sexually experienced – over half (52%) of the total high school population. Texas students surpass their US peers in several sexual risk behaviors including number of lifetime sexual partners, being currently sexually active, and not using effective methods of birth control or dual protection when having sex. They are also less likely to receive HIV/AIDS education in school. Conclusion: Changes in policy and practice, including implementation of evidence-based sex education programs in middle and high schools and increased access to integrated, teen-friendly sexual and reproductive health services, are urgently needed at the state and national levels to address these issues effectively.

Psychosocial variables associated with sexual risk behavior among an urban seventh grade population

This dissertation examines the psychosocial factors associated with sexual risk behavior among low socio-economic, minority middle school students in a large urban school district in Houston, Texas and is presented in the form of three articles. Article One examines the association between knowledge, perceived risk of HIV/STD, and self-reported lifetime engagement in vaginal sex among seventh grade students. The purpose of Article Two is to examine the association between knowledge about condoms, condom use attitudes, perceived peer norms about condom use, condom use negotiation self-efficacy, condom use self-efficacy, condom use intentions and actual condom use among seventh grade middle school adolescents. Finally, Article Three examines the association between attitudes, perceived peer norms, refusal self-efficacy about sex, sexual and abstinence intentions among seventh grade adolescents. By providing a better understanding of factors influencing sexual intentions and sexual behaviors among this population, these articles will enable practitioners to develop effective evidence-based interventions to delay sexual initiation and prevent youth from engaging in risky sexual behaviors, including risk of HIV/STDs and unintended pregnancy.^

Parenting practices, acculturation and Hispanic youth's sexual health

This dissertation examined the impact of acculturation and the influence of the family (specifically parenting practices) on Hispanic youth's sexual behavior and reproductive health and is presented in the form of three papers. In the first paper, we assessed the reliability and validity of the Bicultural Acculturation Scale/Language Proficiency (BAS/LP) subscale for use among Hispanic middle school-aged youth. The purpose of the second paper was to examine the associations between initiation of vaginal intercourse, parental monitoring, and parent-child communication while controlling for acculturation and other recognized covariates. Finally, the purpose of the third dissertation paper was to examine HPV vaccine knowledge, attitudes, and acceptability among Hispanic mothers and girls using strategic focus groups. The three papers will jointly extend the knowledge about Hispanic youth and their parents regarding both sexual initiation and uptake of the HPV vaccine. In addition, findings from the papers can inform the development of interventions for Hispanic youth and their parents to delay sexual initiation and increase HPV vaccine uptake.^

It's your game, keep it real. Sexual education study

Purpose: This study translated and adapted the It's Your Game, Keep It Real study currently being implemented with middle school youth in Southeast Texas for a middle school population in rural western Honduras. The study tested the effects of a sexual health education program focused on human immunodeficiency virus, sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy prevention. We hypothesized that the number of adolescents in the intervention group who initiate sexual activity will reduce in comparison to the control group and there will be an increase consistent condom use in sexually active adolescents in the intervention group. ^ Methods: The target population included Spanish-speaking Hispanic middle school students from a small, semi-urban city in western Honduras. One school was randomly selected to receive the intervention and one to the comparison condition. The intervention curriculum consisted of 10 seventh-grade lessons that included individual and group classroom-based activities and personal journaling. Follow-up surveys were completed three months after the last lesson with 146 students (79.3% of the defined cohort). ^ Results: In the comparison condition, 21.4% of students initiated sex by the post-test follow-up three months after the intervention compared to 7.8% in the intervention condition. ^ Conclusions: A multi-component, curriculum-based program that is theory driven and culturally relevant can increase knowledge about STIs and HIV, increase self-confidence amongst middle school students, and develop communication skills amongst friends and partners. Further research must be conducted to assess delay in sexual initiation and the generalizability of these results.^

A intimidade afetiva e sexual na imprensa em Portugal (1968-1978)

Tese de doutoramento, Sociologia (Sociologia da Cultura, Comunicação, e Estilos de Vida), Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, 2016

Opiniões e atitudes em relação à sexualidade: pesquisa de âmbito nacional, Brasil 2005

OBJETIVO: Descrever opiniões e atitudes sobre sexualidade da população urbana brasileira. MÉTODOS: Inquérito de base populacional realizado em 2005, em amostra representativa de 5.040 entrevistados. Realizou-se análise das atitudes diante da iniciação e educação sexual de adolescentes, considerando sexo, idade, escolaridade, renda, estado civil, religião, cor, região geográfica e opiniões sobre fidelidade, homossexualidade e masturbação. Os resultados foram contrastados com pesquisa similar realizada em 1998, sempre que possível. RESULTADOS: A maioria dos entrevistados escolheu como significado para o sexo a alternativa: "sexo é uma prova de amor". Como em 1998, a maioria manifestou-se pela iniciação sexual dos jovens depois do casamento (63,9% para iniciação feminina vs. 52,4% para a masculina), com diferenças entre praticantes das diversas religiões. A educação escolar de adolescentes sobre o uso do preservativo foi apoiada por 97% dos entrevistados, de todos os grupos sociais. Foi elevada a proporção de brasileiros que concordaram com o acesso ao preservativo nos serviços de saúde (95%) e na escola (83,6%). A fidelidade permaneceu um valor quase unânime e aumentou, em 2005, a proporção dos favoráveis à iniciação sexual depois do casamento, assim como a aceitação da masturbação e da homossexualidade, em relação à pesquisa de 1998. As gerações mais novas tendem a ser mais tolerantes e igualitárias. CONCLUSÕES: Como observado em outros países, confirma-se a dificuldade de estabelecer uma dimensão única que explique a regulação da vida sexual ("liberal" vs "conservador"). Sugere-se que a normatividade relativa à atividade sexual deva ser compreendidas à luz da cultura e organização social da sexualidade ao nível local, auscultadas pelos programas de DST/Aids. A opinião favorável ao acesso livre ao preservativo na escola contrasta com resultados mais lentos no âmbito do combate ao estigma e à discriminação das minorias homossexuais. A formulação de políticas laicas dedicadas à sexualidade permitirá o diálogo entre diferentes perspectivas.

Religiosidade, juventude e sexualidade: entre a autonomia e a rigidez

Este artigo descreve como jovens religiosos e autoridades religiosas das respectivas comunidades compreendem a sexualidade, considerando suas experiências pessoais e como membros de comunidades religiosas. A análise pretende contribuir para que políticas públicas dedicadas à promoção da saúde sexual da juventude considerem a religiosidade no contexto de um Estado laico e da promoção do direito à prevenção. Foram realizadas 26 entrevistas abertas e semidirigidas em diferentes comunidades da região metropolitana da cidade de São Paulo (comunidade Católica, de Umbanda, do Candomblé e de diferentes denominações Evangélicas) sobre iniciação sexual, casamento, gravidez, contracepção e prevenção das DSTs/aids, homossexualidade, aborto e direitos humanos. Observou-se como jovens e autoridades religiosas convivem com a tensão entre tradição e modernidade e os distintos discursos sobre a sexualidade. Como sujeitos religiosos (do discurso religioso) e sujeitos sexuais (de discursos sobre sexualidade), devem ser incorporados pelos programas como sujeitos de direito nos termos de sua religiosidade.