Youth, sexual risk, and religion

Comparative analysis of national youth surveys for Peru, Chile, and Guatemala

Abstract

The National Youth Surveys on sexual and reproductive health are compared, differentiating by the religious affiliation of single youth for three Latin American countries around 2012, and in particular for the age group between 15 and 19 years. It was found that evangelical youth exhibit higher levels of vulnerability compared to the national average of each country, especially in Peru. In addition, according to the proposed Sexual Risk Index, the 15-19 age group of Chilean Catholic and Evangelical adolescents/youth in the three countries compared exceeded their respective national average in the “moderate risk” category, repeating this result for the “very high risk” category in Peru and Chile. The lack of empirical foundation of the protests of Peruvian conservative groups against Comprehensive Sex Education and the gender equality approach for regular basic education is highlighted, since evangelical adolescence would probably be the one that could get the most out of them. Likewise, the need for the effective implementation of the gender and intercultural approach (i.e. language, customs, and religion of the population) in public policies and interventions is also highlighted in order to ensure their relevance and effectiveness