Knowledge about and use of contraceptive methods by pregnant teenagers and their sexual partners ; Conocimiento y uso de métodos anticonceptivos de gestantes adolescentes y sus parejas

Colombia has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Latin America. This public health problem persists despite the efforts made to reduce early maternity figures. Most of these unplanned pregnancies are the result of poor knowledge about and improper use of contraceptive methods. Objective: Describe the knowledge about and use of contraceptive methods by a sample of pregnant teenagers and their sexual partners from the municipality of Fusagasugá, Cundinamarca (Colombia). Methods: A cross-sectional observational descriptive study was conducted in the first semester of 2018. The sample was 11 pregnant teenagers aged 15-19 years and their sexual partners, aged 16-24 years, all of whom met the inclusion criteria. A survey was developed to collect the information. Upon validation by experts, data collection was started. Results: The sample obtained was 11 pregnant teenagers and their sexual partners. Knowledge was ranked as high in 31.81%, medium in 63.64% and low in 4.55%. Men exhibited better knowledge about barrier methods and oral hormonal contraception, whereas women knew more about intrauterine devices and natural contraceptive methods. Although 19 teenagers (86.36%) agreed with the use of contraception, only four of them were using some sort of protection when conception occurred. Conclusions: It is important to broaden knowledge about contraceptive methods and foster their use according to the individual characteristics of the population.