Individual, family, and community factors associated with the use of emergency contraception by Brazilian adolescent students

Abstract

This study aimed to estimate the proportion of use of emergency contraception at least once in life among Brazilian adolescent students, as well as the association of individual, family, and community factors with use. A cross-sectional study was carried out, including 38,779 Brazilian adolescent students, aged 13 to 17 years, participating in the Brazilian National Survey of School Health (PeNSE) in 2019, who declared sexual initiation. The proportion of emergency contraception use at least once in life and the form of access to the method were estimated. Proportion ratios were estimated to assess the factors associated with the use of emergency contraception at some point in life. The proportion of adolescents who used emergency contraception, or who reported the use by their partners, at some point in their lives was 37.9%. Regarding the access to the emergency contraception, commercial pharmacies were the main source of purchase. Adolescents aged 16 and 17 years, those who sought health services in the last year, those living in the Central-West and Southeast regions, and those who had a history of sexual violence used emergency contraception or reported their partners using them at least once in their lives. Living in the South region of Brazil was associated with a lower proportion of adolescents who used emergency contraception or who reported the use by their partners at least once in their lives. The association with individual, family, and community factors related to the use of emergency contraception may reflect the non-use or failures in the use of other contraceptive methods, revealing gaps in public policies related to the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents in Brazil.