To document knowledge and attitudes regarding sexuality and sexual practices of male adolescent high school students in Lima, Peru, a self-administered, anonymous survey was completed by 991 male adolescents aged 12-19 as part of a School-Based Sex Education Intervention model. Questions concerned sociodemographic information; family characteristics; personal activities; knowledge and attitudes regarding sexuality; sexual experience; and contraceptive use. Knowledge related to sexuality was limited. Males tended to mainly discuss sexuality with their male peers (49.8%). Attitudes towards sexual activity and condom use were largely positive, although some males expressed ambivalent feelings towards the latter. Of the sample, 43% had ever had sex; age at first sexual intercourse was 13 years. While 88% of the sample would use condoms, 74% also gave reasons for not using them. Sexual activity was related to age, ever having repeated a grade, living with only one parent or in a mixed family, activities such as going to parties, use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, and viewing pornographic videos or magazines. Many male adolescents were at risk of causing an unintended pregnancy or acquiring an STD.

SUMMARY Objective:To identify the level of knowledge and attitudes regarding sexuality, and sexual practices of female adolescent students in high schools located in Lima, Peru. Material and methods: A self-administered, anonymous survey was completed by 935 female adolescents aged 12-19 as part of a School-Based Sex Education Intervention Model. Questions concerned six areas: sociodemographic information; family characteristics; personal activities; attitudes and knowledge regarding sexuality; couple relationships and sexual experience; and use of contraceptives and pregnancy incidence. Results: Sexuality knowledge was found to be limited (mean=9.9) as measured through 20 basic questions. Females tended to primarily discuss sexuality with their mothers (43%) or their female peers (41%). Attitudes regarding sexuality and use of contraceptives were found to be positive, but some expressed ambivalent feelings regarding use of contraceptives. Of the sample, 8% had ever had sex and the age of sexual debut was 14. While 63% of the sample would use pills, 74% also gave reasons for not using them. Sexual activity was found to be related to age, ever having repeated a grade, talking about sex with her boyfriend or a male friend, if reasons for having sex are "pleasure or fun", having a boyfriend, and having had more than 2 boyfriends. Conclusions: Female adolescents in this sample were found to have limited knowledge regarding sexuality and contraception, ambivalent attitudes towards the use of contraceptives, although they were at risk of an unintended pregnancy or acquiring a STD. These findings clearly document a need for school and community interventions aimed at reducing sexual risk behaviors in adolescents and to assure appropriate contraceptive use in the near future. ( Rev Med Hered 1999; 10:49-61 ). Resultados: El nivel de conocimientos de sexualidad fue limitado (media=9.9) al ser medido a través de 20 preguntas básicas. Las mujeres conversaban mas sobre sexualidad con sus madres (43%) y con sus pares mujeres (41%). Las actitudes con respecto a la sexualidad y la anticoncepción fueron positivas pero algunas son ambivalentes con respecto al uso de anticonceptivos. El 8% de la muestra ya ha tenido relaciones coitales y la edad del primer coito fue de 14 años. Mientras que el 63% de las estudiantes usaría la píldora, el 74%, también, dió razones para no usarla. La actividad sexual se relacionó a la edad, si repitió de grado, si habla sobre sexualidad con el enamorado o amigo, si sus razones para tener relaciones coitales son "por placer o diversión", si ha tenido enamorado y si ha tenido mas de 2 enamorados. Conclusiones: Las estudiantes adolescentes en esta muestra tienen un conocimiento limitado en sexualidad y anticoncepción, actitudes ambivalentes en el uso de anticonceptivos, aunque ellas estuvieran en riesgo de un embarazo no planeado o de adquirir una ETS. Estos hallazgos señalan la necesidad de modelos de intervención en colegios y comunidades dirigidos a reducir las actitudes ambivalentes y los comporta...