Imagem corporal, conhecimento de medidas preventivas e comportamento sexual de adolescentes

Abstract

In adolescence, the way adolescents perceive, observe and understand their body image can interfere with the way they behave in relation to other behaviors. The objective was to analyze the relationship between the variables body image, knowledge of preventive measures and sexual behavior of adolescents from public schools. Multimethod-type research with an analytical-correlational and quasi-experimental approach, with reference to the ecological social model and educational activities anchored in a pedagogical proposal of active methodologies, with the objective of providing adolescents with discussion and reflection on body image, knowledge of protective measures and sexual behavior . Held in the second semester of 2017 and 2018 in three Full-Time Schools in Fortaleza-CE, with female adolescents. The study had as main variables: body image, knowledge of preventive measures and sexual behavior, in which Mann-Whitney and Kruskall-Wallis U tests were applied, Pearson's chi-square test and Fisher's exact test, measuring relationship and association between variables. Approved by the Research Ethics Committee, opinion No. 2,291,545. 147 adolescents participated, with an average age of 14 years (14.03 ± 1.04). 17% reported having started their sexual life. It revealed that 53.7% of the adolescents experienced exposure situations that caused hurt, annoyance, offense and humiliation from schoolmates, with the appearance of the body (32.1%) and face (24.4%) being the main reasons. The adolescents reported dissatisfaction about the perception of body image both by the scale of silhouettes, before (98; 66.7%) and after (106; 71.2%) educational activity, and by the Scale of Assessment of Dissatisfaction among Adolescents, with a mean 10.35 (10.35 ± 7.88) before and average of 10.14 (10.14 ± 8.70) after educational activity. As for knowledge about HIV, 58.5% of them agreed that the risk of transmission of the AIDS virus can be reduced if sexual activity occurs only with a faithful and uninfected partner and 69.4% believed that a person with a healthy appearance may be infected by the virus. It was also evident that adolescents are unaware of the correct handling of the male condom. Of the 25 sexually active adolescents, eight (32%) reported having used a male condom at the first sexual intercourse and 68% reported not using it. There was a statistically significant association (92%; p = 0.007) between the variable sexual activity and knowledge that a person with a healthy appearance may have HIV. By the ecological social model, the dissatisfaction of the adolescents' body image had an influence on the intrapersonal level; self-reported health (p = 0.022 before and p = 0.007 after educational activity), knowledge of the female condom (p = 0.020 before educational activity) and knowledge about HIV (p = 0.011 before educational activity), at the interpersonal level; relationship with the family (p = 0.003 before and p = 0.017 after educational activity). The study did not show a significant relationship in the variables body image perception, knowledge of preventive measures and sexual behavior. The dissatisfaction of the adolescents 'body image had an influence on the intrapersonal and interpersonal levels and educational activities strengthened the adolescents' knowledge about HIV preventive measures. There was a prevalence of dissatisfaction with body image in the group of adolescents.