THE KNOWLEDGE OF ADOLESCENT WOMEN ON CONTRACEPTION

Abstract

This quantitative study investigated adolescents’ knowledge of contraception and was carried out in the second semester of 2006.The data were collected from a questionnaire given to 76 girls aged between 13 and 18 who had shown interest and who had been given written permission by parents or guardians. The main sources of information about contraception were the parents, magazines, books, newspapers and health professionals; the male condom and the Pill were the methods known to the majority of the participants. Illustrating gender power inequalities, confidence in the male partner or, simply, a request made by him are arguments accepted by female adolescents for neglecting the use of methods of contraception. The results confirm that simply knowing about methods of contraception is not determinant to their use, indicating that it is appropriate to make greater investments in adolescents’ sexual education.

Keywords

• Adolescent
• Contraception
• Health education
• Gender and health