| dc.description.abstract | Objectives: To determine the prevalence of the use of erection medication (EDM) and associated factors among university students. Methods: This is a cross-sectional universitybased study, the population of which consisted of 2,295 undergraduate students linked to the Nursing, Dentistry, Medicine, Physiotherapy, Pharmacy and Physical Education courses. Male participants regularly enrolled during the research period, aged 18 years old or older, were included in this study. Students who reported not having had sex (13.3%) and who reported erectile dysfunction (4.6%) were excluded. The outcome was self-reported use of erection medication. The exhibits included sociodemographic, academic variables, behavioral characteristics, sexual practice, condom use and past sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The data were described using means and percentages. Data analysis used Poisson regression with robust variance to control confounding factors. Results: In the sample studied, the participants were at an average age of 23.2 years old (ranging from 17 to 59). The recreational use of 5-phosphodiesterase inhibitors (i5FD) showed an increasing prevalence with age, it was higher in those belonging to economic class “A”, among medical students, in the intermediate years of the courses, in those who had not failed, in smokers, in those who had used drugs, in those with the greatest number of partnerships, among heterosexuals, in those who had not used condoms in the last sexual intercourse and among those who had a past history of STIs. In the multivariate analysis, age, course attended, smoking and past STIs were shown to be independently associated with non-medication use of i5FD. Thus, the chance of recreational use of i5FD increased significantly with the age of the participants, with those aged 25 or older by three times compared to that found among university students aged 18 and 20 years old (RP 3.03 95% IC 1.32-6.93), higher among students in the Medical School (RP 2.48 IC 95% 1.10-5.64), among smokers (RP 1.94 IC 95% 1.19-3.16) and those who reported a history of STI (RP 2.09 IC 95% 1 , 20-3.61). Alcohol, which had shown no difference in the bivariate analysis, did not change its association in the multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Understanding the reasons that lead young people to use erection medications, knowing the prevalence and frequency of their use, identifying factors associated with the use, both in relation to motivation and associated risks, is still a challenge worldwide. Recreational use of EDM by young adults, as well as erectile dysfunction in this population, may represent a new concern for our health system. Definitions of sexual dysfunction among young people may need updating. In view of the results obtained, it is possible to infer that men may also be using non-prescription drugs to deal with unrecognized sexual health problems. In view of the scarcity of studies evaluating this possibility, our results may stimulate the scientific community to produce articles that bring objective data, enabling the planning and implementation of health promotion actions among men of all ages. | en |
