High Levels of Premarital Sex and Low Method Use Increase Unintended Pregnancy Among Chile's Young

Abstract

According to a study of young adults in Santiago Chile there are high rates of premaritally conceived first births and unintended pregnancies in the country. Such levels were noted to be the result of a high incidence of premarital sexual activity and inadequate contraceptive use among unmarried men and women aged 15-24. This paper reports the findings of a study which determined the levels of premarital sexual activity and contraceptive use and the social and demographic characteristics associated with these levels. Data were obtained from the Santiago Young Adult Reproductive Health Survey. Overall analysis showed that 35% of the women (n = 865) and 65% of the men (n = 800) had had premarital intercourse. The factors associated with premarital sexual activity included marital status religious values and age at first intercourse. In terms of contraceptive use method use at first premarital intercourse was predominantly related to age. It is noted that among those who were younger than 18 at first intercourse only 14% of women and 15% of men said they had used a method while among those aged 18-24 at first intercourse 26% of women and 30% of men had done so.