Abstract

DIAZ-CARDENAS, Shyrley; ARRIETA-VERGARA, Katherine  and  GONZALEZ-MARTINEZ, Farith. Prevalence of sexual activity and undesired outcomes in sexual and reproductive health in university students in Cartagena, Colombia, 2012. Rev Colomb Obstet Ginecol [online]. 2014, vol.65, n.1, pp.22-31. ISSN 0034-7434.  https://doi.org/10.18597/rcog.76.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of sexual activity and the undesired results in sexual and reproductive health in university students. Materials and methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 979 students from a public university in Cartagena enrolled during the second term of 2012 in day and classroom courses. A probabilistic proportional fixation sampling was performed. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was used to assess socio-demographic history and sexual activity (initiation age, type and conditions of the sexual relation, contraception methods), as well as undesired results (pregnancies, abortions). The prevalence of sexual activity and undesired results was estimated by means of proportions and 95% confidence intervals. The chi square test (p < 0.05) was used to explore potential relations with socio-demographic variables and variables associated with the student role. Results: The mean age of initiation of sexual activity was 16.6 years (SD = 2.0); 8.5% of the university students reported pregnancies, of which 79.5% were undesired and 7% occurred as a result of intercourse under the influence of alcohol. Of these, 6.7% ended in abortion and were induced in 47.2%. Of the respondents, 2.8% reported having been diagnosed at some point with a sexually transmitted disease, with a higher number among women and students in their sixth to tenth academic semester (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Early initiation of sexual activity among university students gives rise to undesired outcomes such as pregnancy and abortion as a result mainly of unprotected intercourse or under the influence of alcohol.

Keywords : Sexual behavior; student; gestation; induced abortion; sexually transmitted diseases.

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