RESUMEN
Background: Increase in teenage pregnancy and illegal abortion have become a major concern in India and understanding adolescent sexual behavior still remains a challenge. Nearly 60% of abortion in India is illegal. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the level of knowledge about abortion among late adolescent girls (16–19 years). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Bachelor of Arts 1st year students of Ranchi Women’s College, Ranchi. It included girls in the age group of 16–19 years. The duration of the study was 3 months (August–October 2018). A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The descriptive statistics analysis includes percentage and mean with standard deviation. To assess the knowledge level scoring was done. Analysis of variance was done to test the difference in knowledge score. Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional ethics committee and permission was then taken from the principal of Ranchi Women’s College. Results: A total of 71 students gave assent/consent. The mean age of study subjects was 18.25 (0.68) years. Every student had heard about abortion, but still 19 of them thought abortion to be illegal in India. Of 22 students who claimed to know the gestational age up to which abortion can be done, only 5.6% had correct knowledge. Regarding the place where abortion must be done, 40.8% answered correctly. Most of the respondents (39.4%) mentioned rape to be the condition for legal abortion followed by risk of child abnormality. The common complication is known as bleeding and infection. Friends were the most common source of information. Only 2.8% of girls had satisfactory knowledge, the average and low knowledge being present in 33.8% and 63.4% of girls, respectively. Conclusion: This study seeks to determine the existing knowledge of teenagers which was found to be very low. This calls researchers to explore the existing knowledge gap and ways to reduce it at early stage so that maximum could be benefitted from MTP act.
RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To describe HIV-related sexual risk behaviours among late-adolescent Jamaican girls and examine whether having an age-discordant male sexual partner (> 2 years older) was associated with a decrease in condom use at last coitus. METHODS: Utilizing an expanded Theory of Planned Behaviour, a survey was designed to capture HIV-related sexual risk behaviours. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the final sample of one hundred and eighty-four late-adolescent girls (18-21 years) in Kingston, Jamaica. RESULTS: At first coitus, 70.3 per cent of the survey participants had done so with an older partner. At the time of the survey, 58.7 per cent of the sample reported being in an age-discordant relationship, with age differences between 2 and 39 years. While only 12 per cent of the sample reported having more than one sexual partner, 40 per cent of the sample reported that their older male partner had multiple sexual partners. Slightly more than half (58%) of late-adolescent girls reported condom use at last coitus. No significant differences were found in condom use between girls who had age-discordant partners and girls who had similar aged-partners. CONCLUSION: Sexual relationships with older male partners are common among late-adolescent Jamaican girls, and may put girls at risk for acquiring HIV through unprotected coitus and coitus with someone who has multiple partners. As Jamaica and the broader Caribbean struggle to curtail the emergent HIV epidemic among adolescent girls, age-discordant relationships are a significant area for research and prevention efforts of clinicians and public health professionals.
OBJETIVO: Describir los comportamientos de riesgo sexual relacionados con el VIH entre las muchachas jamaicanas adolescentes tardías, y examinar si el tener un companero sexual de edad discordante (> 2 años mayor) estaba o no asociado con la disminución del uso del condón en el último coito. MÉTODOS: Utilizando una teoria del comportamiento planificado extendida, se disenó una encuestapara registrar comportamientos de riesgo sexual en relación con el VIH. Se usaron estadísticas descriptivas e inferenciales a fin de analizar la muestra final de ciento ochenta y cuatro muchachas adolescentes tardías (18-21 anos) en Kingston, Jamaica. RESULTADOS: El primer coito, 70.3 por ciento de las participantes en la encuesta lo tuvieron con un companero de mayor edad. Al momento de la encuesta, 58.7 por ciento de la muestra informó hallarse en una relación de edad discordante, con diferencias de edad entre 2 y 39 anos. Mientras sólo 12 por ciento de la muestra informó tener más de un companero sexual, 40por ciento de la muestra informó que su pareja masculina de mayor edad tenia múltiples parejas sexuales. Casi más de la mitad (58%) de las adolescentes tardías reportaron uso del condón en el último coito. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en el uso del condón entre las muchachas con companeros de edad discordante y muchachas con parejas de edad similar. CONCLUSIÓN: Las relaciones sexuales con parejas masculinas de mayor edad, son comunes entre las muchachas jamaicanas adolescentes tardías. Estas relaciones pueden poner a las muchachas en riesgo de adquirir el VIH a través del coito no protegido y el coito con alguien que tiene múltiples parejas. En un momento en que Jamaica y la región del Caribe luchan por cortar el desarrollo de la epidemia de VIH entre las adolescentes, las relaciones de edades discordantes son un área significativa para los esfuerzos de investigación y prevención por parte de los médicos y los profesionales de la salud pública.