School adolescents' knowledge of emergency contraception
an integrative review
Keywords:
Students, Adolescent, Sexual Health, Knowledge, Contraceptives, PostcoitalAbstract
Objective: To analyze the scientific evidence on school adolescents’ knowledge of emergency contraception.
Method: Integrative literature review conducted between March and December 2025, in the databases of the Virtual Health Library, MEDLINE/PubMed, SciELO, CINAHL, Cochrane, Scopus and Web of Science.
Results: 474 publications were identified, of which 14 articles comprised the final sample. It was evident that, although many adolescents have heard about emergency contraception, misconceptions persist regarding its mechanism of action and the appropriate time for its use. Insufficient sexual education among young people and little knowledge about family planning were predicted by informal sources of information and sociocultural and regional aspects.
Conclusion: The findings reinforce the importance of strengthening policies that encourage sexual education in schools, with the active participation of healthcare professionals in mediating knowledge and promoting the safe and conscious use of emergency contraception among adolescents.
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