OBJECTIVE: To evaluate knowledge about sexuality, contraceptive methods and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) by female adolescents from both rural and urban zone attending public school. METHODS: A cross sectional study was made with 506 teenagers, 10 to 16 years old, attending Dr. Roberto Feijó Public School in Guararema, São Paulo. A semi-structured questionnaire with general questions about sexuality, contraceptive methods and STD was administered. The Chi-square test was used to verify the association between variables. RESULTS: Mean age of the girls from the rural zone was13 years and 11 months and from the urban zone age was 13 years and 7 months, with no statistical difference. Of all the girls, 31% came from the rural and 69% from the urban zone. Adolescents from the rural zone looked for more information about sexuality (81.2%) when compared to those from the urban zone (72.2 %) (p<0.0568). Parents were the main source of information for both zones. The condom was the most familiar method in the rural (44%) and the urban (45%) zones (p=0.0022). AIDS was the best known STD by girls from the rural (43%) and urban (39%) zones (p=0.7843). CONCLUSION: Most of the surveyed female adolescents sought information about sexuality, however their knowledge about STD and contraceptive methods was inadequate.
Adolescent; Sexuality; Contraception; Sexually transmitted disease; Behavior
