In the information age, increased HIV infection among young people and still frequent teenage pregnancy in Brazil reveal worrying behavior.
If the practice of safe sex strengthened in recent decades due to the risk of AIDS, it is currently being neglected by some groups, especially by adolescents. This is shown by the annual report of the United Nations HIV Program (UNAIDS), released in 2015. According to the document, between 2004 and 2013 there was an increase in the number of young people contaminated by the virus in the country – the increase was 53% for young men in the 15-to-19-year-old age group
Young women are not left out of the statistics. On the contrary. The 13-to-19-year-old age group is the only one in which the number of cases of AIDS (when symptoms of the disease caused by HIV appear) is higher for women in the country. The data, from 2012, is from the Ministry of Health’s Department of STD, AIDS and Viral Hepatitis, and it shows that the lower the education level, the higher the number of infected persons among young people.
In the case of girls, another number concerns us. A total of 414,105 between the ages of 15 and 17 are already mothers and, of them, only 1 in 4 continue their studies. This is shown by a survey conducted by the Everyone for Education Movement, based on data of the 2013 National Household Sample Survey (PNAD).
For Prof. Dr. Carmita Abdo, psychiatrist and professor of the Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FM-USP), attraction to risk, exposure to danger of all types, is a natural behavior of youth, but not exclusive to the current generation. “I recall that in the 1990s, the major cause of hospitalization of girls and adolescents from 10 to 19 years of age through SUS (Unique Health System) was undesired pregnancy. The situation appears no different today. It is only more flagrant, in all ways. However, it is not irreparable, making us regret decades of stagnation,” she says.
With regard to AIDS, Prof. Dr. Carmita, founder and coordinator of the Programa de Estudos em Sexualidade – ProSex (Sexuality Project), points to improved control of the disease in recent years, together with the lack of sex education in schools (in the phase prior to sexual initiation) and the only occasional public campaigns on the importance of safe sex, as factors contributing to the fact that adolescents today are not as afraid of the disease. “If AIDS no longer kills as it used to, if adolescents are unaware of the danger when beginning their sexual lives, they end up exposing themselves more. Appreciating the danger and protecting oneself, after beginning and becoming accustomed to risky practices, is less likely,” according to the specialist.
Among the reasons for teenage pregnancy, the professor points to “the longing of young women, even if unconsciously, for an (erroneous) perspective of changing their lives.”
The data cited in this article related to the sexual behavior of young people describe a reality we deal with daily in our projects and that we want to change. Furthermore, it strengthens our conviction that teaching about health is still the best way to form adults with good quality physical and emotional lives.
This is why in light of this scenario and the growing demand for quality information, our public expanded in 2006. In addition to the children from 0 to 12 years of age who were the main focus of our work, the time has arrived to dedicate even more effort to also assist boys and girls from 13 to 15 years of age.
To talk about adolescence is to talk about a time of changes. It is when children leave childhood and enter a new phase of life that is not yet the adult phase, but a period of transition, full of body transformations, in behavior and in feelings. Boys and girls need to deal with many novelties, discoveries, desires, and doubt that can cause anxiety and fear. And we, adults, also need to be prepared to provide the support they need.
It is with the arrival of puberty, which occurs during adolescence that bodily changes (mainly hormones) begin to affect behavior, causing social and psychological changes that are not always easy to understand. Menstruation, in girls, and ejaculation, in boys, are examples of biological phenomena that are part of this stage of life and that introduce adolescents to a new world that includes reproduction and sex.
And talking about sex can be difficult, even for adults. The family context, religious and cultural background or even one’s personality are factors that affect how each person deals with the topic, often influenced by prohibitions, prejudices and fears. This is why sex education was the topic chosen to begin our work with the adolescent public. We believe that the quality of education about sex in adolescence can contribute to forming more secure and happy young people and adults.
Based on our prior experience with children from 7 to 12 years of age, we have learned that a merely informative and/or biological approach contributes little to stimulating the interest and learning of this public. We believe that the means of communicating with young people is one of the keys to the success of projects such as ours. That is why in “Sou Adolescente – Quantas Mudanças!” (“I’m an adolescent – so many changes!),” focused on boys and girls from 13 to 15 years of age, we use language they are familiar with, as well as media they favor, such as videos on YouTube. Thus, we seek to warn, for example, of the risks of virtual communication with strangers or clarify how important it is to practice safe sex.
In the opinion of Prof. Dr. Carmita Abdo, who is also scientific advisor to the Institute, these projects are of vital importance. “The content, the way it is applied, the differentiation by age group, the beginning at the proper age, the prior training of the Certified Instructors are strong points. All this, together with the vast experience of the Criança é Vida (Child is Life) Institute in training professionals to provide sex education correctly and directly,” she says.
References:
Department of STD, AIDS and Viral Hepatitis of the Ministry of Health;