Sexual and reproductive health in riverine communities: integrative review

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the scientific evidence available on the sexual and reproductive health of riverine communities. Method: Integrative review, conducted on the databases Lilacs, Medline; Web of Science and Scopus, including publications in Portuguese, English or Spanish, without an initial time limit and published until 2018. Results: 11 studies were selected. The studies included are from the period 1993-2017. The results originated four analytical categories: sexual component, which gathered findings about sexually transmitted infections; reproductive component, which included family planning/fertility control, abortion and problems with pregnancy; environmental component, which presented issues with environmental contaminants and its reproductive implications; and the sociocultural component, which discussed gender, beliefs and social indicators. Conclusion: In this review, studies with a quantitative approach, from a female point of view and a biological perspective predominated. No study investigated the meanings and representations of SRH for the riverine communities. In addition, the findings show little evidence of thoughts and practices of people living in riverine communities regarding SRH issues, providing limited evidence.