Sexual experience and use of contraception among young adults in Latin America.

Although a formal public health surveillance system has not yet been established in Latin America to document the attitudes of young people toward sex education, sexual activity, and contraception and their behaviors in these areas, representative data are available from 12 household-based Young Adult Reproductive Health Surveys conducted in seven countries since 1985. The surveys indicate that the rate of sexual experience before marriage or consensual union for males is much higher than that for females, and first sexual experience occurs at a younger age for males than for females. However, from 34% to 90% of females 20-24 years of age report having had premarital sexual relations. No more than 41% of females and 31% of males report that they or their partner used contraception at first sexual experience. Less than one-third of both young men and young women could identify the most fertile period during the menstrual cycle. The results of such surveys have provided program officials and policymakers with data to plan, implement, and evaluate interventions targeted for young adults.