Sexuality myths and beliefs in rural students of a township in the department of Caldas

Abstract

Introduction. Rural areas stand out for their conservative and traditional practices, where sexuality is considered a taboo subject among families, which carries to misinformation and the generation of fantasy ideas. Objective. To analyze the myths and beliefs of young rural school students regarding their sexuality and to identify whether some of these may have an impact on risky practices and pregnancy at an early age. Materials and methods. The approach is quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional, conducted with 58 students in higher grades between 11 and 22 years of age. For the analysis, demographic data such as age, gender and sexual relations were considered and related to 30 different myths, which were presented in a questionnaire with false and true answers. Results. It was found that 50 % are male and 50 % female, the latter obtained a higher percentage of erroneous beliefs with 50.3 %; the age group with more incorrect answers was 11 to 13 years old; 10 myths were identified that could have an impact on Adolescent Pregnancy and risky practices. Conclusions. The importance of sex education in rural educational centers is emphasized, to reduce information barriers and social gaps, since these are conducive to the spread of misconceptions about sexuality.