Risky sexual behavior and associated factors in undergraduate students in a city in Southern Brazil

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe the sexual behavior of freshmen undergraduate students according to demographic, economic, psychosocial and behavioral characteristics, and evaluate the prevalence of risky sexual behavior and its associated factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of the census type with undergraduate students over 18 years old of 80 undergraduate courses of the Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), who entered in the first semester of 2017 and remained enrolled in the second semester. Undergraduate students who reported having had sex were evaluated. We considered as risky sexual behavior having more than one sexual partner within the last three months and not having used condoms in the last sexual intercourse. RESULTS: The prevalence of risky sexual behavior was 9% (95%CI 7.6–10.5). Men presented more risky behavior than women, with a prevalence of 10.8% and 7.5%, respectively. Of the undergraduate students, 45% did not use condoms in the last sexual intercourse, and 24% had two partners or more within three months before the survey. Smartphone applications for sexual purposes were used by 23% of students within three months before the survey. Risky sexual behavior was associated with gender, age at first sexual intercourse, frequency of alcohol consumption, consumption of psychoactive substances before the last sexual intercourse and use of smartphone applications for sexual purposes. CONCLUSION: Although undergraduate students are expected to be an informed population, the prevalence of risky sexual behavior was important, indicating the need to expand public investment in sexual education and awareness actions.

Testagem para o HIV e profilaxia pós-exposição entre homens que fazem/ não fazem sexo com homens

“…Although they use condoms more, compared to women, men have more sexual partners, had more anal sex practices, used drugs more and started sex earlier. 17 In population-based research in Thailand, the results are similar to the Brazilian reality. Men have higher risk sexual behaviors, such as multiple partners and the consumption of drugs and alcohol before intercourse, but use the condom more often than women.…”

A prevenção das infecções sexualmente transmissíveis entre jovens e a importância da educação em saúde

“…Los jóvenes universitarios entran en la categoría de grupo poblacional de riesgo cuando se considera la probabilidad que tienen de desarrollar CSR, debido a que presentan escaso sentido de vulnerabilidad y reciben poca atención en virtud de su baja tasa de morbilidad y mortalidad, en comparación con otros grupos poblacionales (7,13) .…”

“…La mayoría de los estudios que evalúan a los estudiantes universitarios presentan una muestra compuesta por carreras del área de la salud (6,7) . Estudiar a los alumnos del área biomédica es adecuado, dado que, a pesar de ser estudiantes del área de la salud, el tema mejora poco durante su paso por la universidad o en su proceso laboral, lo que puede reflejarse directamente en el comportamiento sexual de los jóvenes universitarios.…”

Prevalência de infecções sexualmente transmissíveis em universitários de uma instituição pública de Parnaíba

“…Souza et al (2021) enfatiza a vulnerabilidade às infecções sexualmente transmissíveis em consequência da utilização dos métodos de prevenção, como os preservativos, de forma irregular. Essa prevalência em estudantes de graduação, uma população com alto nível de informação, reforça a ideia de que ter informação é um fator necessário, mas não suficiente para modificar comportamentos (Gräf et al, 2020).…”