Abstract
Background and Purpose: Ecuador has one of the highest rates of youth pregnancy and intimate partner violence (IPV) (1). Youth pregnancy and IPV may also increase other risks, such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (2). In Ecuador, HIV remains a concentrated epidemic that disproportionately affects youth aged 15–24 (2,3). Despite nationwide concern, little is known about these issues in the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. The unique context of the Galapagos requires a distinct exploration of pathways linking youth pregnancy, IPV and HIV. The purpose of this study is to understand young adults’ perspectives about risk and protective factors for youth pregnancy, IPV, and HIV, and to examine their recommendations to address these issues.
Methods: This is qualitative descriptive study with a sample of 20 Spanish-speaking participants ages 18-24 from San Cristobal Island. In-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview guide were used to collect the data. Interviews were recorded and transcribed for analysis. Content analysis was used to define major themes.
Results: The mean age was 21.05 ± 1.79 years old, with an average of 12 ± 4.37 years of education. Nine participants identified as male and eleven as female. Five major themes emerged from the data: (1) There are barriers to discuss youth pregnancy, IPV and HIV risk, (2) attitudes and behaviors of the community, parents and peers influence risks, (3) culture plays an important role in the prevalence of these issues, (4) youth pregnancy, IPV and HIV risk are interrelated factors that function as a syndemic, and (5) youth recommendations need to be incorporated in future prevention efforts.
Conclusion and Implications: The findings revealed that youth pregnancy, IPV and HIV risk are co-occurring conditions linked to youth inconsistent education, cultural barriers and social taboo that decrease communication about these issues. Youth in the Galápagos face major gaps in STI/HIV education, access to prevention services, and open communication. Strengthening sexual health education, youth-friendly services, and open dialogue and engaging families, communities, and key institutions is essential to help young people make informed, preventive decisions about their sexual health.
Notes
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References:
1. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos [INEC]. (2019, August). Estadísticas vitales: Registro estadístico de nacidos vivos y defunciones 2018. INEC. https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/documentos/web-inec/Poblacion_y_Demografia/Nacimientos_Defunciones/2018/Principales_resultados_nac_y_def_2018.pdf
2. Ministerio de Salud Publica (2007). Global school-based student health survey: 2007 Ecuador factsheet. Quito, Ecuador.
3. Ministerio de Salud Publica (2016). VHI/SIDA e Infecciones de Transmision sexual en Ecuador. Retrieved from http://www.coalicionecuatoriana.org/web/pdfs/VIH-sida-ITS-en-Ecuador-MSP.pdf
Sigma Membership
Alpha Alpha, Beta Tau
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Descriptive/Correlational
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Public and Community Health, Policy and Advocacy, At-Risk Behavior, Sexually Transmitted Disease Risk Factors, HIV, Teenage Pregnancy, Intimate Partner Violence, IPV, Galapagos Islands
Recommended Citation
Villegas Rodriguez, Natalia Andrea; Masa, Rainier; Fraga-Rizzo, Cindy; Chapman, Mimi; Garcia, Brian A.; Rocha-Dela Cruz, Lucero; Arvizu, Lizbeth; and Kaiser, Amy, "Understanding the Intersections of Pregnancy, IPV, and HIV Risk Among Youth in the Galápagos" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 197.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/197
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-08-24
Understanding the Intersections of Pregnancy, IPV, and HIV Risk Among Youth in the Galápagos
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background and Purpose: Ecuador has one of the highest rates of youth pregnancy and intimate partner violence (IPV) (1). Youth pregnancy and IPV may also increase other risks, such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (2). In Ecuador, HIV remains a concentrated epidemic that disproportionately affects youth aged 15–24 (2,3). Despite nationwide concern, little is known about these issues in the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. The unique context of the Galapagos requires a distinct exploration of pathways linking youth pregnancy, IPV and HIV. The purpose of this study is to understand young adults’ perspectives about risk and protective factors for youth pregnancy, IPV, and HIV, and to examine their recommendations to address these issues.
Methods: This is qualitative descriptive study with a sample of 20 Spanish-speaking participants ages 18-24 from San Cristobal Island. In-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview guide were used to collect the data. Interviews were recorded and transcribed for analysis. Content analysis was used to define major themes.
Results: The mean age was 21.05 ± 1.79 years old, with an average of 12 ± 4.37 years of education. Nine participants identified as male and eleven as female. Five major themes emerged from the data: (1) There are barriers to discuss youth pregnancy, IPV and HIV risk, (2) attitudes and behaviors of the community, parents and peers influence risks, (3) culture plays an important role in the prevalence of these issues, (4) youth pregnancy, IPV and HIV risk are interrelated factors that function as a syndemic, and (5) youth recommendations need to be incorporated in future prevention efforts.
Conclusion and Implications: The findings revealed that youth pregnancy, IPV and HIV risk are co-occurring conditions linked to youth inconsistent education, cultural barriers and social taboo that decrease communication about these issues. Youth in the Galápagos face major gaps in STI/HIV education, access to prevention services, and open communication. Strengthening sexual health education, youth-friendly services, and open dialogue and engaging families, communities, and key institutions is essential to help young people make informed, preventive decisions about their sexual health.
Description
This session examines how educational gaps and cultural barriers shape pregnancy, IPV, and HIV risk among Galápagos youth, offering strategies to strengthen communication and prevention that can also be applied to other close-knit or underserved youth communities with limited access to care and prevention funding.