A influência da telenovela no uso do preservativo pelos adolescentes masculinos na prevenção do HIV/AIDS

Abstract

Adolescence is characterized by the need of knowing more about themselves and the world, with special reference to sexuality and sex. However, this sexual experimentation is related to the social and cultural environment in which these adolescents are inserted. So, being the habit of watching soap operas a cultural and social habit presented by adolescents, we can assume that soap operas can influence the sexual behavior of adolescents. Thus, the objective was to investigate the influence of soap operas in the sexual behavior of adolescents concerning the vulnerability to HIV infection. This is a case-control study of quantitative approach carried out in seven high schools from the public state net of Fortaleza-CE. The study population was composed of male adolescents who were regularly enrolled in these high schools. The sample was selected through the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria on the use of condoms during sexual intercourse. We used the matching method for each case and control groups with 67 male adolescents with age equivalents. Two questionnaires were applied for data collection, from August to November 2010. For data analysis we used the SPSS version 16.0. The research project was approved by the Ethics Committee under protocol Nº. 71/10 and the free and informed consent was applied before the questionnaires. Adolescents had a mean age of 16.79 years, single, studying in the 2nd year of high school, no job, family income up to three minimum wages. 45 adolescents in the case group were living with up to two people working, while 49 in the control group lived more than two people working (p=0.061). Adolescents of both groups started their sex life, on average, at 14.44 years old (p=0.847). Three teenagers in the case group were "dating" the current sexual partner compared to 11 in the control group, and 20 adolescents had a girlfriend in the case group compared to 26 in the control group (p=0.651). Five teenagers in the case group presented more than one sexual partner in comparison to 10 in the other group (p=0.025). The reasons curiosity (p=0.038) and attraction (p=0.038) were the ones that most encouraged the teenagers to begin their sexual life. Teenagers in the control group (38) watched more soap operas from Rede Globo than the case group (27) (p=0.057). The soap opera "Malhação" was the most watched by adolescents in the control group (19) than in the case group (9) (p=0.034). 15 adolescents in the control group compared to the five in the case group showed that the soap opera influenced their sexual behavior (p=0.062). It was concluded that although teenagers present the same socioeconomic level and go the same type of school, the soap opera contributed to the practice by adolescents in the control group of the following risk behaviors: having more than one sexual partner, not use condoms in all sexual intercourse with girlfriends and "dates", which increased their vulnerability to HIV infection.