Paper
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Nursing: adolescent, STD and health promotion
Florence R. Tocantins, PhD, RN, BS, Departamento de Enfermagem de Saúde Pública / Enfermagem e a Saúde da População, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - UNIRIO, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Pryscilla C. Simões, MNS, RN, BNS, Departamento de Enfermagem, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| Learning Objective #1: To identify the prevention methods used by adolescents in their sexual relations. |
| Learning Objective #2: To analyze the vulnerability of adolescents related to sexually transmittable diseases. |
Our professional experience with Brazilian youth has awakened questions related to the access to, and utilization of information for prevention of Sexual Transmitted Diseases – STD. Their vulnerability, as a possibility to present a health problem, can be indicated by means of the correlation between certain elements: their life conditions, the environment in which they live and, their lifestyle. To support the health actions, it is important to have the current concept of Health Promotion in mind. Goals: to identify the preventive measures used by youngsters during sexual relations and, to analyze the vulnerability of a group of adolescent scholars related to STD. The study was based upon Schutz’s social phenomenological approach. The subjects of the study were adolescents registered at a Municipal Education School Network of Rio de Janeiro (Br.). The research used data saturation to establish the number of interviews. The majority of the interviewed ones were of the feminine sex and between 15 and 19 years old. Amongst the used prevention methods, the masculine condom and the contraceptive method were cited. As for the typical action for prevention intention it is pointed out as: the adolescent uses prevention method in sexual relations aiming to prevent pregnancy and, depending on the type of the established social relation, to take precautions against sexually transmissible diseases. The results of the study pointed out at that the “fear of pregnancy' is the foundation for using prevention methods. We evidence that the central question of the vulnerability of the adolescent is the use of information. It is important to rethink the health education actions, essentially as a sexual right. The actions of the health professional, in special the nurse, will be as health promoter next to the youngsters, and stimulating them in the attainment of a better quality of health and life.