Sexual and reproductive health of adolescents in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Portugal.
OBJECTIVE
This pilot study, within the REPROSTAT 2 Project, aimed at investigating the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of school-based youths in four countries of the European Union.


METHODS
Students of either sex, aged between 16 and 19 years and entering grade 10, 11 or 12 during the 2005-2006 school year participated in a cross sectional survey. A structured questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of students from selected schools in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Portugal.


RESULTS
In each country, more than three quarters of respondents had previously had a boyfriend or girlfriend and almost half had heterosexual intercourse. More than 85% of sexually experienced youths in each country had used contraception at coital debut. Mean age at coital debut varied between 15.2 (Belgium) and 16.4 years (Czech Republic). While 51% of respondents in Estonia knew of Chlamydia trachomatis infection, the corresponding figure in Portugal was only 12%.


CONCLUSIONS
Sexual activity is common among school-going youths in all four countries. This highlights the need for Member States to systematically collect indicators of SRH in this population. Use of a common measurement framework can inform the establishment of common targets for joint initiatives such as reducing teenage pregnancy and STIs in adolescents.
Fronteira
Inês
I
Health Systems Unit, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Rua da Junqueira, 96, Lisboa 1349-008, Portugal. ifronteira@ihmt.unl.pt
Oliveira da Silva
Miguel
M
Unzeitig
Vit
V
Karro
Helle
H
Temmerman
Marleen
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D001530:Belgium; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000523:psychology; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018153:Czech Republic; D004957:Estonia; D005062:European Union; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011174:Portugal; D012574:Schools; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards; D055815:Young Adult