Narratives of men and women from the southeastern region of Brazil on some aspects of sexual and reproductive health, sexual life and contraception: a qualitative study.
Makuch M, Zotareli V, et al. • The European journal of contraception & reproductive health care : the official journal of the European Society of Contraception • 2025
Narratives of Brazilian men and women reveal perspectives and behaviours related to reproductive health, sexual life, and contraceptive use that 'can affect health and general wellbeing,' highlighting the need for routine discussion of SRH in healthcare and community settings.
Key Findings
Results
Discussion of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) was identified as vital, with participants reporting perspectives and behaviours that can affect health and general wellbeing.
30 participants were recruited and interviewed face-to-face at CEMICAMP and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Campinas Medical School, Campinas, Brazil.
The study used cognitive interviewing, a qualitative procedure that collects data on how participants comprehend survey questions and formulate answers.
The Brazilian data were part of a larger study conducted in 19 countries, coordinated by the World Health Organisation.
The study was conducted during the pre-testing phase of a survey instrument.
Results
Three main thematic categories were identified from participant narratives: talking about sexual experiences, perspectives on STIs and HIV, and contraceptive use for both pregnancy prevention and protection against STIs/HIV.
Data were collected among 30 persons through face-to-face interviews.
The themes covered sexual life and experiences, perspectives on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV prevention, and contraceptive use.
The cognitive interviewing methodology allowed researchers to understand how participants comprehend and respond to questions on these topics.
Both men and women participated, reflecting gendered narratives on SRH.
Conclusions
Participants reported perspectives and behaviours related to reproductive health that indicate a need for SRH discussions to be incorporated into healthcare consultations, schools, and places of leisure.
The authors identified that issues related to SRH 'must be incorporated into all encounters between patients and healthcare professionals.'
The authors also stated it is 'imperative that such discussions be incorporated into other locales, such as schools and places of leisure, among others.'
Healthcare providers were specifically identified as needing to discuss these issues routinely with men and women during consultations.
The study was situated in the southeastern region of Brazil, limiting geographic generalisability within Brazil.
Methods
The study employed a qualitative cognitive interviewing methodology as part of a WHO-coordinated multi-country survey pre-testing process.
Cognitive interviewing is described as a qualitative procedure that 'allowed them to collect data on the narratives of participants on the comprehension of a survey instrument during the pre-testing phase.'
It 'aids researchers in understanding how participants comprehend the questions, the topics discussed in the questionnaire and how they formulate their answers.'
The broader study spanned 19 countries and was coordinated by the World Health Organisation.
The Brazilian sample consisted of 30 participants recruited at CEMICAMP.
What This Means
This research describes what men and women in southeastern Brazil said about their sexual lives, their understanding of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, and their experiences with contraception. The study was part of a larger World Health Organisation project conducted in 19 countries, and used a method called cognitive interviewing — where researchers listen to how people understand and answer survey questions — to gain insight into how participants think and talk about sexual and reproductive health. Thirty people were interviewed face-to-face in Campinas, Brazil.
The findings were organised into three main areas: participants' sexual experiences and attitudes, their views on STIs and HIV prevention, and how they use contraception both to prevent pregnancy and to protect against infections. Participants shared perspectives and behaviours that researchers identified as having real implications for health and overall wellbeing, suggesting that many people may not be receiving adequate information or support around these topics.
This research suggests that conversations about sexual and reproductive health need to happen more regularly and in more places — not just in doctors' offices, but also in schools and community settings. The authors emphasise that healthcare providers should routinely bring up these topics with both male and female patients, as doing so could help address gaps in knowledge and improve health outcomes related to contraception and STI prevention.
Makuch M, Zotareli V, Bento S, de Pádua K, Bahamondes L. (2025). Narratives of men and women from the southeastern region of Brazil on some aspects of sexual and reproductive health, sexual life and contraception: a qualitative study.. The European journal of contraception & reproductive health care : the official journal of the European Society of Contraception. https://doi.org/10.1080/13625187.2025.2506557