Abstract

QUIROZ, Jorge; ATIENZO, Erika E; CAMPERO, Lourdes  and  SUAREZ-LOPEZ, Leticia. Between contradictions and risks: Mexican male adolescents' views about teenage pregnancy and its association with sexual behavior. Salud pública Méx [online]. 2014, vol.56, n.2, pp.180-188. ISSN 0036-3634.

Objective. To explore the opinions of Mexican male adolescents regarding teenage pregnancy and analyze its association with sexual behavior. Materials and methods. This is a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire among a conventional sample of male students (15-19 years old) in eight public schools in Morelos and Mexico City. Analyses include multivariate models to identify the association between opinions and sexual behaviors. Results. Overall, 68% agree that a teenage pregnancy is a negative event. In a hypothetical case, if a girlfriend got pregnant in this moment 56% would continue in the school whereas 18% would definitely abandon it. Those who affirm that a teenage pregnancy is something very bad have greater odds of using condoms (OR=1.8; p<0.05). Conclusions. Male adolescents' views about teenage pregnancy are associated with some sexual behaviors; however their opinions reflect several contradictions. The design of surveys directed exclusively to explore male adolescents' opinions about reproductive health is urgent.

Keywords : adolescents; attitude; sexual behavior; reproductive behavior; pregnancy in adolescence; Mexico.