RESUMO
Background: Adolescents and young adults are a critical target regarding reducing healthrisk behaviors' adoption, particularly in a stressful context such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Surveying their perceptions and behavioral changes may lead to a revised health promotion approach. Objectives: This study aims to describe adolescents' and young adults' early reactions to a stressful event, the COVID-19 pandemic, characterizing their social determinants and preferences, such as sources of information, experienced symptoms, habits, and main concerns regarding themselves, their relatives, and the community. We intended to explore the association of their concerns and significant determinants such as age, gender, education, source of information, feelings of fear, prospecting the implications of communication, and individual and social determinants in managing stressful events. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, population-based, self-report survey of 3,898 individuals aged between 16 and 24 years from Portugal. Results: The main concerns about COVID-19 were the possibility of transmitting to someone and permanent social changes. Our findings present significant differences according to gender, education, age, and expressing fear. Conclusion: The pandemic deteriorated baseline community inequalities. Young people appreciate official information and are available to contribute to society's safety. However, valuing official information is associated with deeper expressed concerns. Therefore, official information should include strategies to reach young people, promote healthier choices, and avoid distress and disinformation.
RESUMO
Adolescents and young adults are an important target concerning reducing health-risk behavior adoption, including sexual health. Studying their knowledge concerning sexuality and their main counsellors, can be an important step in targeting an updated health promotion approach. This study characterized adolescents and young adults' knowledge and attitudes about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and contraception, prospecting for their main trusted counseling sources. We conducted a cross-sectional, population-based, self-report survey of 746 individuals aged between 14 and 24 years from Paredes, Portugal. The questionnaire included many dimensions, as demographic characteristics, youth behavior, currently sexually active status, main counselors concerning health topics, awareness, and knowledge about STDs and contraception. Mean age of the participants was 18.3 years, 50.5% of them had started their sexual activity. Males present themselves as more sexually active, starting earlier, and have more sexual partners than females. Participants reported an adequate knowledge perception about STDs and contraception methods, however we found different patterns on specific STDs and contraceptive methods, according to gender, age, and sexually active status. Our results help design specific interventions to reach youth, community, and healthcare providers, pointing out the value of bringing people to the center of health policies.
