AEGiS-13IAC: Nao 'Saca Cena' Sem Essa Cena: One night stands and condom use among adolescents in Maputo, Mozambique.

13th International AIDS Conference

Durban, South Africa - July 9-July 14, 2000

Nao 'Saca Cena' Sem Essa Cena: One night stands and condom use among adolescents in Maputo, Mozambique.

Int Conf AIDS 2000 Jul 9-14; 13:65 (abstract no.. LbPeD7121)

Karlyn A, Mussa F
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Centre for Population Studies, London, United Kingdom. Fax: +44-207-299-4637, E-mail: akarlyn@compuserve.com.

BACKGROUND: 'Saca cenas', one-night stands, are a common risk practise found among Mozambican youth. In-school youth have adopted consistent condom use as the norm during 'saca cenas', while out-of-school youth have not. Study

OBJECTIVE: To describe contemporary patterns of risky sexual behavior and condom use among 16-24 year old Mozambican youth residing in Maputo City. Problem

DESCRIPTION: The expanding AIDS epidemic in Mozambique is fuelled principally by unprotected heterosexual transmission, with youth identified as a key target group for prevention. However, little is known about their sexual behaviour and protective practices.

METHODS: The research activity examined youth sexual behaviour using 71 semi-structured interviews and 20 focus groups. Data were collected for in- and out-of-school youth over a period of February to May, 2000.

RESULTS: Mozambican youths initiate their sexual lives early (ages 14-16) motivated by curiosity, pleasure seeking, and in the case of out-of-school youth, procreation. One of the more striking practices found in youths' sexual repertoire is the phenomenon of'saca cena' ['take a scene'] - the one-night stand. 'Saca cena' consists of casual sex with an unknown partner met at a public venue such as a bar, disco, or party. The 'saca cena' is bound by a set of unstated rules emphasising anonymity, discretion, and for in-school youth - condom use.

CONCLUSION: Among in-school youth, condom use with occasional partners has become the norm while out-of-school youth have yet to adopt the same protective practices. The association between occasional partners, condoms and anonymity, as evidenced by the 'saca cena' phenomenon, reflects the need of Mozambican youth to experiment sexually while adopting protective measures against the perceived 'threat' of damage to their reputation, unwanted pregnancy, and STDs/HIV.

Keywords: AEGIS, Safe Sex, Condoms, Sex Behavior, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, Adolescent Behavior, HIV Seropositivity, Interviews, Schools, Time, Heterosexuality, Mozambique, Adolescent, Human, Adolescence, Female, Pregnancy, AIDS
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