Estrategias novedosas de prevención de embarazo e ITS/VIH/sida entre adolescentes escolarizados mexicanos A novel school-based strategy for the prevention of HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Disease (STDs), and teen pregnancies

OBJETIVO: Describir el diseño de un estudio en escuelas preparatorias para evaluar una intervención de prevención de VIH/sida y embarazos no planeados, y presentar los resultados de su encuesta basal. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se implementó una intervención sobre VIH/sida/ITS, dirigida a adolescentes, incluyendo anticoncepción de emergencia (AE), y se diseñó una evaluación prospectiva aleatorizada controlada para medir la efectividad de la misma. Se llevó a cabo una encuesta basal, de la que se deriva un diagnóstico de los conocimientos, actitudes y comportamientos sexuales de la población objetivo. RESULTADOS: De las 40 escuelas participantes, 11 177 estudiantes de primero de preparatoria (52% mujeres; edad media de ambos sexos de 15.5 años) participaron en la encuesta basal. De ellos, 10% de las mujeres y 24% de los hombres dijeron tener experiencia sexual, y únicamente 39% reportó haber usado condón en la primera relación. De los sexualmente activos, un tercio de los hombres y la quinta parte de las mujeres reportaron haber experimentado zafadura o rotura del condón. La mayor parte de los participantes había escuchado previamente sobre la AE. CONCLUSIONES: La baja proporción del uso de condón, aunado al hecho de que se reportan problemas para su uso efectivo, refuerza la idea del diseño de este estudio: proponer un método anticonceptivo de respaldo al condón, como la AE, razonablemente conocida y con disposición para su uso.OBJECTIVE: To introduce the study design of an HIV/AIDS and unplanned pregnancy prevention program targeting high school students, and to present the results from the baseline survey. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A school curriculum was developed to inform adolescent students about HIV/AIDS/STD prevention, which included information on emergency contraception (EC) for adolescent students. A randomized controlled study was conducted to simultaneously evaluate the effect of this intervention. The baseline survey collected data on contraception knowledge and attitudes regarding sexual behaviors. RESULTS: A total of 11 117 students from 40 schools participated in the baseline (52% female, the mean age of both males and females was 15.5). A total of 10% of the females and 24% of the men surveyed were sexually active at baseline, but only 39% of those sexually active reported using a condom at the time of their first sexual intercourse. Among the sexually active students surveyed, a third of the males and a fifth of the females reported at least one condom slip or breakage. Most of the students were aware of EC. CONCLUSIONS: The low proportion of students that report using condoms accompanied by their incorrect use points to the need for HIV/AIDS and unplanned pregnancy prevention efforts. This novel approach offers adolescents EC, a backup method to the condom. The approach is feasible as students know what EC is and furthermore it appears that they are willing to use this method