According to The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS report of regional
statistics for HIV/AIDS from 2001-2008, Latin America has the third highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS
among children and adults in the world with about 2 million infected in 2008. Among all of these
countries, Mexico has the second highest prevalence in Latin America. Another topic of public
health concern associated with the boom of the younger generations in Mexico is the potential
increase in unintended pregnancies. The objective of this study was to explore the factors
influencing knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding reproductive health, as well as sexual risk
behaviors among young adults in a rural community in Mexico. A mixed-methods investigation
was conducted, including 10 closed-ended questionnaires and 10 in-depth interviews with five
females and five males ranging from 18-28 years of age. Findings indicate that level of
education had little influence on awareness of contraceptive methods and depth of knowledge
increased only slightly with years of education. Religious affiliation was not related to
contraceptive preference and/or use, and pre-marital sex was less common among females. The
reasons influencing pre-marital sex were attributed to societal norms and familial pressures and
were independent of religious background