Focus groups with adolescents on sexual and reproductive health: experience report
1
PostGraduate Nursing Program, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Brazil
2
Nursing Department, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Adolescent sexual and reproductive health is a challenge for public health, given early sexual initiation, inconsistent use of preventive methods, and persistent informational gaps. Group-based qualitative approaches are relevant to access adolescents’ perceptions, experiences, and needs, particularly when addressing sensitive topics. This study reports the experience of conducting focus groups with adolescents in a public health context to support the development of an educational technology on sexual and reproductive health.
METHODS:
This is an experience report on seven focus groups conducted in a public school in Ceará, Brazil. A total of 55 adolescents aged 14 to 17 years participated, organized into groups of 7 to 10 participants of both sexes. Institutional coordination with the school, research team training, and ethical procedures were completed, including informed consent from parents or guardians and assent from adolescents. The groups were moderated by a nurse, with support from nursing students, using a collaborative approach, accessible language, and gradual introduction of sensitive topics. A word–image association dynamic stimulated dialogue. Sessions were documented through field notes and audio recordings, when authorized.
RESULTS:
The strategies fostered a safe and trusting environment. During each session, increased adolescent engagement was observed, with greater participation and spontaneous expression of perceptions and experiences. Focus groups enabled identification of diverse perspectives, highlighting the importance of prior invitation, meeting organization, and the use of dynamics, which facilitated communication but required attentive moderation to avoid excessive direction.
CONCLUSIONS:
Focus groups, when preceded by prior invitation and structured with participatory strategies, promote engagement and expression on sensitive topics. Facilitation dynamics supported dialogue when accompanied by attentive moderation. This method represents a powerful strategy for qualified listening to adolescents and for informing actions sensitive to their needs.
Adolescent sexual and reproductive health is a challenge for public health, given early sexual initiation, inconsistent use of preventive methods, and persistent informational gaps. Group-based qualitative approaches are relevant to access adolescents’ perceptions, experiences, and needs, particularly when addressing sensitive topics. This study reports the experience of conducting focus groups with adolescents in a public health context to support the development of an educational technology on sexual and reproductive health.
METHODS:
This is an experience report on seven focus groups conducted in a public school in Ceará, Brazil. A total of 55 adolescents aged 14 to 17 years participated, organized into groups of 7 to 10 participants of both sexes. Institutional coordination with the school, research team training, and ethical procedures were completed, including informed consent from parents or guardians and assent from adolescents. The groups were moderated by a nurse, with support from nursing students, using a collaborative approach, accessible language, and gradual introduction of sensitive topics. A word–image association dynamic stimulated dialogue. Sessions were documented through field notes and audio recordings, when authorized.
RESULTS:
The strategies fostered a safe and trusting environment. During each session, increased adolescent engagement was observed, with greater participation and spontaneous expression of perceptions and experiences. Focus groups enabled identification of diverse perspectives, highlighting the importance of prior invitation, meeting organization, and the use of dynamics, which facilitated communication but required attentive moderation to avoid excessive direction.
CONCLUSIONS:
Focus groups, when preceded by prior invitation and structured with participatory strategies, promote engagement and expression on sensitive topics. Facilitation dynamics supported dialogue when accompanied by attentive moderation. This method represents a powerful strategy for qualified listening to adolescents and for informing actions sensitive to their needs.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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