Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Sep 7;17(1):139.
doi: 10.1186/s12978-020-00987-8.

Associated factors and sex differences in condom non-use among adolescents: Brazilian National School Health Survey (PeNSE)

Matias Noll  1   2 , Priscilla Rayanne E Silva Noll  3   4 , Jéssica Menezes Gomes  4 , José Maria Soares Júnior  4 , Erika Aparecida Silveira  5 , Isabel Cristina Esposito Sorpreso  4
Affiliations

Associated factors and sex differences in condom non-use among adolescents: Brazilian National School Health Survey (PeNSE)

Matias Noll et al. Reprod Health. .

Abstract

Background: Condom non-use among sexually active adolescents is a major cause of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. In order to promote condom use, it is essential to understand factors associated with condom non-use.

Aim: Our aim was to evaluate sex differences and associated factors of condom non-use based on the nationally representative Brazilian National School Health Survey.

Methods: The study participants were 100,962 adolescents 13-18 years old, 9th graders from both public and private schools throughout Brazil. The following factors were considered as explanatory group variables for the outcome of condom non-use among adolescents: school and health service, sexual behavior, substance use, and self-reported body and health perception. Poisson regression model was performed.

Results: Of the total students, 28% (n = 28,157) had had sexual intercourse at least once. (boys, 37.1%; girls, 19.5%). Of these, 69.2% had used condoms the last time they had intercourse (girls: 68%; boys: 69.9%). The variables associated with condom non-use for both sexes were not having accessed a health service or approached a health professional for health-related care; not having received pregnancy prevention counseling or guidance on AIDS or STI prevention at school; early sexual initiation; no additional contraception method; substance use; feeling alone; not being satisfied with their own body; feeling fat or thin; and poor self-reported health. The number of sexual partners was also associated with condom non-use; however, contrasting behavior was indicated between sexes. A higher number of sexual partners indicated less use of condoms among girls, while for boys, a higher number of sexual partners indicated higher condom use.

Conclusion: High condom non-use appears to be associated with lack of health care access and sexual health education, poor sexual practices, substance use, and poor self-perception, indicating areas for health promotion programs.

Keywords: Adolescent health; Condom use; Sexual risk behavior; Students.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Adolescent sample flow chart from the Brazilian National School Health Survey (PeNSE). * Students who had sexual intercourse previously. Sample evaluated in this study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Idowu AA, Moyaki MG, Goon DT, Avramovic G, Lambert JOVA. High rate of unplanned pregnancy in the context of integrated family planning and HIV care services in South Africa. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18:1. doi: 10.1186/s12913-018-2942-z. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Raidoo S, Kaneshiro B. Providing contraception to adolescents. Obstet Gynecol Clin N Am. 2015;42:631–645. doi: 10.1016/j.ogc.2015.08.004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Santelli BJ, Rochat R, Hatfield K, Gilbert C, Curtis K, Cabral R, et al. The Measurement and Meaning of Unintended Pregnancy. 1999. pp. 94–101. - PubMed
    1. Ganchimeg T, Mori R, Ota E, Koyanagi A, Gilmour S, Shibuya K, et al. Maternal and perinatal outcomes among nulliparous adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: a multi-country study. BJOG An Int J Obstet Gynaecol. 2013;120:1622–1630. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.12391. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gipson JD, Koenig MA, Hindin MJ, Gipson D, Michelle J. The Effects of Unintended Pregnancy on Infant, Child, and Parental Health: A Review of the Literature. Stud Fam Plann. 2008;39:18–38. doi: 10.2307/20454434. - DOI - PubMed