Contraceptive practices of Brazilian adolescents: social vulnerability in question

Sociodemographic, sexual, and reproductive variables associated with pregnancy among adolescents from low socioeconomic background

Adolescent pregnancy remains a public health concern in both developed and developing countries. Portugal and Brazil represent some of the best examples of this phenomenon. The present study aimed to identify sociodemographic, sexual, and reproductive health-related variables associated with adolescent pregnancy among students from low socioeconomic backgrounds in both countries. The sample included 984 female adolescents, among whom 215 became pregnant. Living with a partner and lack of information about sex and contraception from the family were the best explicative factors for pregnancy occurrence in both countries. Country-specific variables were also identified. Our results may contribute to developing global preventive interventions, addressing the school as an ideal setting for primary intervention and considering culture-specific characteristics of high-risk populations.

Young women's contraceptive practices: a household survey in the city of São Paulo, Brazil

The last decade has witnessed initiatives to expand access to contraceptives in Brazil. However, the last population-based study on contraception was undertaken in 2006. A household survey in 2015 investigated contraceptive practices in women 15 to 44 years of age living in the city of São Paulo. The current study selected data on young women 15 to 19 years of age. The objectives were to identify the prevalence of contraception, the contraceptives used, sources, and differences in contraceptive practices. The young women are part of a probabilistic study sample. Differences in contraception use were compared by multiple logistic regression analysis. A total of 633 young women were interviewed, of whom 310 (48.5%) were sexually initiated. Of these, 60% reported emergency contraception use at least once in their lives. Emergency contraception use was directly proportional to age and lifetime number of partners. Prevalence of contraception was 81%. The odds of current contraception use were higher among young women residing in the health district of the city with the better social conditions, Catholics, those who reported sexual relations in the previous 30 days, and those with history of an obstetrics and gynaecology visit in the previous year, and inversely proportional to the lifetime number of sex partners. Male condoms and the pill were the most common methods (28.2% and 23%). Most of the women purchased their contraceptives in retail pharmacies (75.2%), and the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS) was only a significant source for injectable hormonal contraceptives. Government support for women's sexual and reproductive rights is still insufficient.

Prevalence and associated factors of induced abortion among rural married women: a cross-sectional survey in Anhui, China

AIM

This study aims to assess the prevalence of and factors associated with induced abortion among married women in rural areas of Anhui Province, China.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A multistage probability sampling method was used to identify a representative sample of 53,652 married women aged 18-49 years in rural areas of Anhui Province, China. All women were interviewed in the form of a standardized questionnaire.

RESULTS

We found that 32.0% (16,800) of these women had had at least one induced abortion: 21.1% (11,090) of women had had one; 7.6% (3976) of women had had two; and 4.1% (1734) of women had had at least three. The number of induced abortions per 100 pregnancies was found to be 22.0. Multivariate analysis showed that education, the age of a woman at her first marriage, number of total births, number of total pregnancies, and contraceptive methods were significant predictors for induced abortion after controlling for women's current age, employment and family yearly income.

CONCLUSION

The study shows that the prevalence of induced abortion is still very high among married women in rural China, and highly effective methods of contraception (sterilization, intrauterine device) decrease women's recourse to induced abortion.