Sexual behavior among high school students in Brazil: alcohol consumption and legal and illegal drug use associated with unprotected sex
Clinics
;
68(4): 489-494, abr. 2013. tab
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-674241
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Alcohol and other drug use appears to reduce decision-making ability and increase the risk of unsafe sex, leading to possible unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases/human immunodeficiency virus/HIV transmission, and multiple sexual partners. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that risky sexual behaviors among adolescents are associated with legal and illegal drug use.METHODS:
A national cross-sectional survey of 17,371 high-school students was conducted in 2010. Students were selected from 789 public and private schools in each of the 27 Brazilian state capitals by a multistage probabilistic sampling method and answered a self-report questionnaire. Weighted data were analyzed through basic contingency tables and logistic regressions testing for differences in condom use among adolescents who were sexually active during the past month.RESULTS:
Approximately one third of the high school students had engaged in sexual intercourse in the month prior to the survey, and nearly half of these respondents had not used a condom. While overall sexual intercourse was more prevalent among boys, unsafe sexual intercourse was more prevalent among girls. Furthermore, a lower socioeconomic status was directly associated with non-condom use, while binge drinking and illegal drug use were independently associated with unsafe sexual intercourse.CONCLUSION:
Adolescent alcohol and drug use were associated with unsafe sexual practices. School prevention programs must include drug use and sexuality topics simultaneously because both risk-taking behaviors occur simultaneously. .
Full text:
Available
Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Sexual Behavior
/
Students
/
Alcohol Drinking
/
Substance-Related Disorders
Type of study:
Etiology study
/
Prognostic study
/
Risk factors
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Brazil
Language:
English
Journal:
Clinics
Journal subject:
Medicine
Year:
2013
Type:
Article
/
Project document
Affiliation country:
Brazil
Institution/Affiliation country:
Universidade Federal de São Paulo/BR
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