Risk for sexual transmission infections or hiv infection among adolescents

Objective. To describe risks for sexual transmitted infections STI/HIV in school-children at public schools in Popayán. Methods. Cross-sectional study; 5.000 surveys were randomly applied to students aged 10 to 19. The survey contained sociodemographic, sexual health and risk variables. A descriptive statistical analysis and correlation were applied. Results. 46.6% were men and 53.4% were women; 39.2% reported having started sexual intercourse at the age of 13.2 years on average; Only 41.3% reported using condoms consistently; 29% of men reported having had 3 or more sexual partners in the past year; 23% have ITS and 39,1% consumed a psychoactive substance or alcohol. The correlation model showed a strong relation between the age of onset of sexual relations and school level. Conclusion. This study showed conditions related to sexual health practices and behaviors that may favor the risk of acquiring STI/HIV in adolescents living in contexts of vulnerability, such as low condom use, number of sexual partners, type of sexual relations and consumption of psychoactive substances