RESUMEN
PIP: During 1986 and 1991, two large questionnaire studies were carried out concerning the attitudes and knowledge about contraceptives, the start of sexual activity, and the avoidance of unwanted pregnancy among 500 secondary school students in Ostersund and the county of Jamtland, Sweden. Among those who had had their first intercourse, the average age of first intercourse increased from 15 years and 4 months to 16 years and 2 months for girls. For boys the age of first intercourse was 16 years and 3 months in 1986 vs. 17 years in 1991. In Ostersund itself this age was 18 years for boys, while for those growing up in the countryside outside of Ostersund, this age stayed the same at 16 years. In 1991, girls tended to be less protected during first intercourse: only 54% used the condom or oral contraceptives (OCs) vs. 64% in 1986. In contrast, 75% of boys used either the condom or their partner relied on OCs during the first intercourse. The opposition to OCs was indicated by the fact that earlier 85% of those in longer relationships ( 6 months) used OCs compared with only 70% in 1991. A large percentage of both girls and boys also admitted in 1991 that they had had intercourse without any protection compared with 1986. Neither in 1986 nor in 1991 did any teenage girls use IUDs. When asked about their reaction to an unplanned pregnancy, in 1991, 1 out of 4 girls thought that they would give birth vs. 1 out of 7 in 1986. The reasons for not using OCs included fear from side effects, which increased from 1 out of 4 in 1986 to 1 out of 3 in 1991. There was also a promising trend of a decreasing rate of chlamydia infections both in the county of Jamtland and in the country in general, presumably owing to the increased use of condoms. These findings induced the county of Jamtland in April 1992 to subsidize OCs for women under the age of 25 years.^ieng