Abstract
Study Objective
To describe knowledge and use of contraceptive methods among pregnant teens in Brazil.
Design
A cross-sectional survey.
Setting
A tertiary care center in Bahia, Brazil.
Participants
Pregnant teens 10-19 years old.
Interventions
Participants were asked about contraceptive knowledge and previous contraceptive use.
Main Outcome Measures
Contraceptive knowledge, previous contraceptive use, and contraceptive intentions
for after pregnancy. Other survey topics included demographic characteristics, school
attendance, and sexual history.
Results
A total of 90 participants wereincluded in the study, with an average age of 15.4
± 1.7 years, and a mean age at first sexual intercourse of 13.8 ± 1.2 years. Most
participants were unmarried (58/90), of mixed race (57/90), had a household income
below minimum wage (59/83), lived with their parents (54/90), and unemployment (81/90).
More than 80% were not using contraception or were using it irregularly whenthey became
pregnant. Most participants reported knowledge of condoms (82/90), of the combined
oral contraceptive pill (75/90) and of injectable contraceptives (68/90). However,
less than half reported knowledge oflong-acting reversible contraceptive methods.
In terms of contraceptive intentions after pregnancy, the most commonly cited methods
were the contraceptive injection (36/90), the intrauterine device (17/90) and the
combined pill (9/90).
Conclusion
In this study we found a low level of knowledge of contraceptive methods, and especially
of long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, among pregnant teens in Northeast
Brazil. Low socioeconomic status and high rates of unplanned pregnancy might be reasons
for insufficient sexual and reproductive health counseling in this population.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 30, 2017
Footnotes
The authors indicate no conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc.
