Experiences and perspectives of sex education in schools from the voices of adolescents mothers and fathers in the Cuenca canton

Despite the existence of international agreements and programs that seek to reduce the teenage pregnancy index, investigations reflect that this situation remains worrying. In the case of Ecuador, the latest figures indicate that Ecuador has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in Latin America. Previous studies have a medical approach mostly and focus on teenage mothers and the consequences of early pregnancy. However, it has been reported that sex education in the education system has been effective in reducing teenage pregnancies, and that the participation of adolescents in sex education programs is essential for its effective implementation. In Ecuador, the research that relates sex education with adolescent pregnancy is scarce, and the participation of mothers and, especially of adolescent fathers, is meager. The present study aims to explore the experiences and perspectives of sex education in schools in adolescents who have been mothers and fathers. The research methodology is qualitative because a situation is addressed that involves a particular group of the population regarding a sensitive issue. The design is phenomenological and the technique used is the semi -structured interview. The participants are 10 teenage mothers and 10 adolescent fathers attending or attended the public education system in the Cuenca canton. The study will generate scientific knowledge that will provide current and contextualized information to the instances that strive to reduce the teenage pregnancy index. The results will be published in scientific journals.

XVIII UNIVERSITY COMPETITION FOR RESEARCH PROJECTS