Family planning: what do adolescents know about this matter?

Abstract

Pregnancy during adolescence occurs almost always unexpectedly, and it might be related to the lack of information about contraceptive methods. The aim of this study was to identify the knowledge of adolescents about family planning and contraceptive methods, to describe the sources of information about the matter and verify the benefits of sexual education for adolescents. It was a descriptive research, with a qualitative approach, carried out from March through April 2005, with ten adolescents from a municipal school, in Itatira – CE. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured and group interviews. The data were analyzed by means of the content analysis technique. The group consisted of 10 adolescents in the age group of 14 to 19 years old. The obtained categories were: knowing my body and understanding my sexuality; planning is needed; safe and responsible sex; and to know in order to care for oneself. The adolescents said that family planning is a theme that must be introduced in the family by dialogue, being part of children’s education. They also showed a deficit in knowledge about the specificity of different contraceptive methods, being the male condom the most known and efficient one. The ways of gathering information about contraceptives pointed about by the adolescents were: the television, the magazines and their own friends. The group activities enhanced the youngsters’ knowledge. The need to extend sexual education for teenagers, free of prejudicial attitudes, is reinforced.