High school students' opinions of gynecological consultations in Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To analyze sociocultural differences and perceptions of gynecological consultations for high school girls. METHODS: A transversal study with 418 high school girls from three schools of different profiles in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil in 2010. A structured questionnaire encompassing socio-demographic characteristics, sexual behavior and evaluation of gynecological consultations was completed. Yates' Chi-square test and the Student's t-test were utilized adopting a value of p < 0.05. RESULTS: The students of private and federal public schools presented similar profiles but both were different from the state school girls. The latter had lower socioeconomic status, and their parents had lower levels of education, the predominance of afro-descendants was observed, as were a larger number of sexual partners, pregnancy and cases of sexual violence. The average age of menarche and sexarche among the students were similar, but the first gynecological consultation was significantly later among the state school students. The majority showed some knowledge of contraception and STDs, although only a minority received guidance from the consultations. Students expressed the desire that the professionals dedicate more time, patience and availability to them during consultations. CONCLUSIONS: The provision of gynecological services for teenagers is not satisfactory, according to the teenagers' evaluations. Users of the private health system have gynecological consultations earlier than those who only have access to the public system. It is necessary to create mechanisms that facilitate access and adhesion to a routine of gynecological prevention for this age group.