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<article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/" article-type="research-article" dtd-version="1.2" xml:lang="en"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">Sociology of Medicine</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title xml:lang="en">Sociology of Medicine</journal-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Социология медицины</trans-title></trans-title-group></journal-title-group><issn publication-format="print">1728-2810</issn><issn publication-format="electronic">2413-2942</issn><publisher><publisher-name xml:lang="en">Eco-Vector</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">643489</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.17816/socm643489</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="edn">GNINMK</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="en"><subject>MEDICAL SOCIOLOGICAL STUDIES</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="ru"><subject>МЕДИКО-СОЦИОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="article-type"><subject>Research Article</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title xml:lang="en">Risky sexual behavior of Belarusian adolescents: ten-year dynamics and comparison with foreign data</article-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Рискованное сексуальное поведение белорусских подростков: 10-летняя динамика и сравнение с зарубежными данными</trans-title></trans-title-group></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3653-8385</contrib-id><contrib-id contrib-id-type="spin">3697-5235</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Surmach</surname><given-names>Marina Y.</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Сурмач</surname><given-names>Марина Юрьевна</given-names></name></name-alternatives><address><country country="BY">Belarus</country></address><bio xml:lang="en"><p>MD, Dr. Sci. (Medicine), Professor</p></bio><bio xml:lang="ru"><p>д-р мед. наук, профессор</p></bio><email>marina_surmach@mail.ru</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4049-8061</contrib-id><contrib-id contrib-id-type="spin">5429-8708</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Yazepchyk</surname><given-names>Oksana A.</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Езепчик</surname><given-names>Оксана Антоновна</given-names></name></name-alternatives><address><country country="BY">Belarus</country></address><email>yazepchyk87@mail.ru</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib></contrib-group><aff-alternatives id="aff1"><aff><institution xml:lang="en">Grodno State Medical University</institution></aff><aff><institution xml:lang="ru">Гродненский государственный медицинский университет</institution></aff></aff-alternatives><pub-date date-type="preprint" iso-8601-date="2025-03-04" publication-format="electronic"><day>04</day><month>03</month><year>2025</year></pub-date><pub-date date-type="pub" iso-8601-date="2025-05-25" publication-format="electronic"><day>25</day><month>05</month><year>2025</year></pub-date><volume>24</volume><issue>1</issue><issue-title xml:lang="en"/><issue-title xml:lang="ru"/><fpage>5</fpage><lpage>14</lpage><history><date date-type="received" iso-8601-date="2024-12-27"><day>27</day><month>12</month><year>2024</year></date><date date-type="accepted" iso-8601-date="2025-02-13"><day>13</day><month>02</month><year>2025</year></date></history><permissions><copyright-statement xml:lang="en">Copyright ©; 2025, Eco-Vector</copyright-statement><copyright-statement xml:lang="ru">Copyright ©; 2025, Эко-Вектор</copyright-statement><copyright-year>2025</copyright-year><copyright-holder xml:lang="en">Eco-Vector</copyright-holder><copyright-holder xml:lang="ru">Эко-Вектор</copyright-holder></permissions><self-uri xlink:href="https://rjsocmed.com/1728-2810/article/view/643489">https://rjsocmed.com/1728-2810/article/view/643489</self-uri><abstract xml:lang="en"><p><italic>BACKGROUND: </italic>In the context of depopulation, the problem of risky sexual behavior among adolescents represents a potential demographic threat to the Republic of Belarus and, therefore, requires thorough investigation.</p> <p><italic>AIM: </italic>To characterize the sexual behavior of Belarusian adolescents aged 15–18 over the last 10–15 years and compare these data with foreign studies.</p> <p><italic>Materials and METHODS: </italic>The survey was conducted on a quota-based national sample of adolescents (<italic>n</italic>=1254) aged 15–18 years from November 01, 2022, to May 31, 2023. The database was developed and registered as a copyrighted work. A comparison was made with a similar study conducted in 2010–2011 (<italic>n</italic>=949). To compare with foreign data, materials from the Health Behavior of School-Age Children project, conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2021–2022 across 42 countries in Europe, Central Asia, and Canada, were used.</p> <p><italic>RESULTS: </italic>Belarusian adolescents become sexually active one year later than their foreign peers. At age 15, one in 13 boys and one in 17 girls report sexual activity, compared with one in five boys and one in seven girls abroad. By age 16, one in five girls and one in four boys are sexually active. By age 17, the proportion of sexually experienced young men is significantly higher.</p> <p>International data show differences between regions and countries. For Belarus, the influence of the residence factor has not been established.</p> <p>The majority of sexually active adolescents consider adolescence to be the optimal age for initiation, indicating a lack of understanding of the risks. Similar to their foreign peers, one in three Belarusian adolescents report that they did not use contraception during their last sexual intercourse.</p> <p>Belarusian young men, like their foreign peers, show a significantly higher risk of casual sexual relations, regardless of their place of residence. The comparison of data from 2010–2011 and 2022–2023 shows that young people choose unverified sources of information about sexual relations. These trends, therefore, cannot be characterized as positive.</p> <p><italic>CONCLUSION: </italic>Despite much more favorable data in comparison with the countries of Western Europe, Asia, and Canada, as well as some positive shifts observed between 2010 and 2023, the sexual behavior of Belarusian adolescents still remains risky for their health and future reproductive potential.</p></abstract><trans-abstract xml:lang="ru"><p>Обоснование. В условиях депопуляции проблема рискованного сексуального поведения среди подростков может стать одной из демографических угроз для Республики Беларусь и нуждается в исследовании.</p> <p>Цель. Охарактеризовать сексуальное поведение белорусских подростков возраста 15–18 лет за последние 10–15 лет и сравнить его с зарубежными данными.</p> <p>Материалы и методы. Выполнен опрос выборки подростков 15–18 лет, квотной республиканской (<italic>n</italic>=1254) с 01.11.2022 по 31.05.2023. Создана и зарегистрирована база данных как объект авторского права. Проведено сопоставление с подобным исследованием, проведённым нами в 2010–2011 гг. (<italic>n</italic>=949). Для сравнения с зарубежными данными использованы материалы проекта «Поведение детей школьного возраста в отношении здоровья», проводимого под эгидой Всемирной организации здравоохранения в 2021/2022 гг. в 42 странах региона Европы, Центральной Азии и Канады.</p> <p>Результаты. Белорусские подростки начинают половые отношения на год позже их зарубежных сверстников. В 15 лет каждый 13-й мальчик и 17-я девочка подтверждают наличие половой жизни, в отличие от каждого 5-го мальчика и 7-й девочки за рубежом. В 16 лет сексуально активны каждая 5-я девочка и каждый 4-й мальчик, начиная с 17 лет доля имеющих сексуальный опыт юношей значимо выше.</p> <p>Международные данные свидетельствуют о различиях между регионами и странами. Для Беларуси влияние фактора проживания не установлено.</p> <p>Большинство сексуально активных подростков считают лучшим возрастом для инициации именно подростковый, что свидетельствует о непонимании риска. В то же время, как и зарубежные сверстники, белорусские подростки в каждом третьем случае отвечают, что не использовали контрацепцию при последнем половом контакте.</p> <p>Белорусские юноши, как и их зарубежные сверстники, выявляют значительно больший риск случайных половых связей, независимо от проживания. Сопоставление данных 2010–2011 и 2022–2023 гг. показывает, что подростки выбирают непроверенные источники информации по вопросам половых отношений, и тенденции не могут быть охарактеризованы положительно.</p> <p>Заключение. Несмотря на значительно более благоприятные данные в сопоставлении со странами Западной Европы, Азии и Канады, а также некоторую положительную динамику за период с 2010 по 2023 г., сексуальное поведение белорусских подростков по-прежнему остаётся рискованным по отношению к их здоровью и последующей реализации их репродуктивного потенциала.</p></trans-abstract><kwd-group xml:lang="en"><kwd>adolescents</kwd><kwd>sexual behavior</kwd><kwd>ten-year dynamics</kwd><kwd>Belarus in comparison with foreign countries</kwd></kwd-group><kwd-group xml:lang="ru"><kwd>подростки</kwd><kwd>сексуальное поведение</kwd><kwd>10-летняя динамика</kwd><kwd>Беларусь в сравнении с зарубежными странами</kwd></kwd-group><funding-group><award-group><funding-source><institution-wrap><institution xml:lang="ru">Белорусский республиканский фонд фундаментальных исследований</institution></institution-wrap><institution-wrap><institution xml:lang="en">Belarusian Republican Foundation for Basic Research</institution></institution-wrap></funding-source><award-id>Г24У-007 от 02.05.2024</award-id></award-group></funding-group></article-meta></front><body></body><back><ref-list><ref id="B1"><label>1.</label><mixed-citation>Inchley J, Currie D, Budisavljevic S, et al., editors. 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