title: Sexuality and contraception in adolescents from Barcelona, Spain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the sexual behavior and contraception use among a sample of high school and vocational school adolescents in Barcelona, Spain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A random sample of 3139 students, aged 14 to 19 years, living in the city of Barcelona, were surveyed by means of an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire. SPSS/PC+ was used for statistical analysis. Significance criterion was set at 0.01.
  
  
  RESULTS
  13% of the students had previously participated in sexual intercourse; percentages between the sexes was equal. Frequency increased with age. Boys had their first experience at a significantly earlier age, but girls participated in sexual intercourse more often. The majority of adolescents used condoms as their primary contraceptive method; seven (3.3%) of the sexually active girls had been pregnant, and two (1%) boys had caused their partners to become pregnant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rate of sexual activity among adolescents in Barcelona is low compared with those in both European and American studies. However, a higher rate of condom use is observed.
authors.affiliation: Institut Universitari Dexeus, Adolescent Unit, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Parera
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Suris
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013030:Spain