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Ignorance 'is fueling rise in unsafe sex'
September 27, 2011, Tuesday
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YOUNG people across the globe are having more unprotected sex and know less about effective contraception options, a multinational survey revealed yesterday.
The "Clueless or clued up: your right to be informed about contraception" study, prepared for World Contraception Day, said the number of young people having unsafe sex with a new partner has increased by 111 percent in France, 39 percent in the US and 19 percent in the UK over the past three years.
World Contraception Day task force member Denise Keller said in a statement with the results of the study: "No matter where you are in the world, barriers exist which prevent teenagers from receiving trustworthy information about sex and contraception, which is probably why myths and misconceptions remain so widespread even today.
"When young people have access to contraceptive information and services, they can make choices that affect every aspect of their lives, which is why it is so important that accurate and unbiased information is easily available for young people to obtain."
The survey, commissioned by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and endorsed by 11 international non--government organizations, questioned more than 6,000 young people from 26 countries, including Chile, Poland and China, on their attitudes toward sex and contraception.
The level of unplanned pregnancies among young people is a major global issue, campaigners said, and the rise in unprotected sex in several countries has sparked concern about the quality of sex education available to youngsters.
In Europe, only half of respondents received sex education at school, compared with three-quarters across Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region and the US.
Many respondents also said they felt too embarrassed to ask a healthcare professional for contraception.
Jennifer Woodside, spokeswoman for the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said: "What young people are telling us is they are not receiving enough sex education or (are receiving) the wrong type of information about sex and sexuality.
"The results show that too many young people lack good knowledge about sexual health, do not feel empowered enough to ask for contraception or have not learned the skills to negotiate contraceptive use with their partners to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection."
More than a third of respondents in Egypt believed bathing or showering after sex will prevent pregnancy, and more than a quarter in Thailand and India believed having intercourse during menstruation is an effective form of contraception.
But the fact that many young people engage in unprotected sex, and the prevalence of harmful myths, should not come as a surprise, Woodside said.
She added: "How can young people make decisions that are right for them and protect them from unwanted pregnancy and STIs, if we do not empower them and enable them to acquire the skills they need to make those choices?"
The "Clueless or clued up: your right to be informed about contraception" study, prepared for World Contraception Day, said the number of young people having unsafe sex with a new partner has increased by 111 percent in France, 39 percent in the US and 19 percent in the UK over the past three years.
World Contraception Day task force member Denise Keller said in a statement with the results of the study: "No matter where you are in the world, barriers exist which prevent teenagers from receiving trustworthy information about sex and contraception, which is probably why myths and misconceptions remain so widespread even today.
"When young people have access to contraceptive information and services, they can make choices that affect every aspect of their lives, which is why it is so important that accurate and unbiased information is easily available for young people to obtain."
The survey, commissioned by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and endorsed by 11 international non--government organizations, questioned more than 6,000 young people from 26 countries, including Chile, Poland and China, on their attitudes toward sex and contraception.
The level of unplanned pregnancies among young people is a major global issue, campaigners said, and the rise in unprotected sex in several countries has sparked concern about the quality of sex education available to youngsters.
In Europe, only half of respondents received sex education at school, compared with three-quarters across Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region and the US.
Many respondents also said they felt too embarrassed to ask a healthcare professional for contraception.
Jennifer Woodside, spokeswoman for the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said: "What young people are telling us is they are not receiving enough sex education or (are receiving) the wrong type of information about sex and sexuality.
"The results show that too many young people lack good knowledge about sexual health, do not feel empowered enough to ask for contraception or have not learned the skills to negotiate contraceptive use with their partners to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection."
More than a third of respondents in Egypt believed bathing or showering after sex will prevent pregnancy, and more than a quarter in Thailand and India believed having intercourse during menstruation is an effective form of contraception.
But the fact that many young people engage in unprotected sex, and the prevalence of harmful myths, should not come as a surprise, Woodside said.
She added: "How can young people make decisions that are right for them and protect them from unwanted pregnancy and STIs, if we do not empower them and enable them to acquire the skills they need to make those choices?"
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