Characterisation of the sexual and reproductive health of an Afro-Colombian community, 2021-2022.

OBJECTIVE

Basurú, a community in Chocó, Colombia, has significant women's sexual and reproductive health (SRH) problems, including high rates of adolescent pregnancy and perinatal morbidity/mortality. This study aims to characterise SRH in Basurú in the context of social determinants of health from 2021 to 2022.

METHODS

A descriptive, observational, quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted, using the Pan American Health Organization's Community Information System for Primary Health Care for data collection. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) variables were performed using STATA 18 for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 116 families were studied, including 386 individuals (M:200 and H:186). Of the population, 97.15 % were identified as Afro-Colombian. Of those over the age of 7, 14.46 % were illiterate, and the household head had an average of 4.58 years of education. Planning was reported by 27.6 % between the ages of 10 and 52. Men were less likely to plan than women (adjusted POR 0.421, p = 0.029). The most used methods were condoms and hormonal methods. Cervicovaginal cytology was reported by 28.35 % of women. Mammography was reported by 31.57 % of women over 35 years of age.

CONCLUSIONS

The population of Basurú has sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyles that respond to and are related to the regional dynamics of the Chocó department. Women in Basurú with a basic secondary education show a higher propensity to use family planning than men, while the use of pap smears and mammography still is relatively low.