Abstract

CAMPO-ARIAS, Adalberto; CEBALLOS-OSPINO, Guillermo Augusto  and  HERAZO, Edwin. Gender-associated factors related to adolescents having sexual intercourse in Santa Marta, Colombia in 2004. Rev Colomb Obstet Ginecol [online]. 2008, vol.59, n.4, pp.276-284. ISSN 0034-7434.

Objective: establishing variables associated with adolescent students having sexual intercourse in Santa Marta, Colombia. Materials and method: a cross-sectional study was designed for ascertaining the variables related to having sexual intercourse. Logistic regression separately controlled variables associated with girls and boys having sexual intercourse. Results: a group of 2,039 girls and another consisting of 1,536 boys completed the questionnaire. Total sexual intercourse prevalence was 22,5% (41,0% amongst boys and 8,6% amongst girls). Girls having sexual intercourse was related to not having received HIV-AIDS information (OR=9,4; 1,3-71,4 95%CI), drinking alcohol (OR=8,3; 4,415,695%CI),beingolderthan15(OR=4,2;3,0-6,0 95%CI), last-month cigarette smoking (OR=3,0; 2,0-4,6 95%CI) and smoking cannabis (OR=2,8; 1,1-7,1 95%CI). Boys having sexual intercourse was associated with cannabis use (OR=10,9; 2,547,4 95%CI), drinking alcohol (OR=5,2; 3,7-7,2 95%CI), last-month cigarette smoking (OR=3,4; 2,3-5,1 95%CI), being older than 15 (OR=3,0; 2,2-4,095%CI) and being heterosexually orientated (OR=1,7; 1,2-2,5 95%CI). Conclusions: the prevalence of sexual intercourse was higher in boys than girls. Having sexual intercourse was exclusively associated with not having received school HIV-AIDS information amongst girls and being heterosexually orientated amongst boys. Latin-American countries' cultural aspects should be taken into account in research about adolescent sexual behaviour.

Keywords : sexual behaviour; gender; adolescent.

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