Young people report high levels of unprotected sex, lack information

A survey conducted by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals re­vealed that young people reporting high levels of unprotected sex and barriers are affecting their right to obtain trustworthy information about sex and contraception.

A study of British 16 to 19 year olds has shown 61 per cent have had sex, with 43 per cent of those who were sexually active admitting to having had sex with a new partner without using contraception compared to 36 per cent in 2009.

Of those who admitted having had unprotected sex with a new partner, 23 per cent said they had done so because their partner did not like using contraception, with 15 per cent saying they had been drunk and forgot.

The proportion of girls who said they had a close friend or family member who had an unplanned pregnancy rose from 36 per cent in 2009 to 55 per cent this year.

Only 55 per cent of girls said they considered themselves to be very well-informed about all the contraceptive options available compared to 62 per cent of boys, according to the study.

Nearly one in five girls, 19 per cent, and 16 per cent of boys said they did not receive any kind of sex education at school, with 16 per cent of boys and girls saying they did not trust their teachers to provide accurate and unbiased information about contraceptive choices.

Researchers surveyed 200 young British people as part of a study of 6,026 15 to 24 year olds in 29 countries conducted in April and May.

In Italy, the number of people saying they do not like contraception has increased from three per cent to 24 per cent since 2010.

The findings have been released to coincide with World Contraception Day, a campaign to improve awareness of contraception.

The third annual multi-national survey, exploring young people’s attitudes to sex and contraception, has been launched yesterday to mark World Contraception Day 2011, which takes place every year on September 26.

The survey, entitled Clueless or Clued Up: Your Right to be informed about contraception, has shown alarmingly high levels of unprotected sex among young people as well as poor knowledge of effective contraceptive options.

A spokesman for the survey remarked that respondents are avoiding asking healthcare professionals about contraception through embarrassment and many cannot rely on their schools to provide comprehensive sex education.

The survey involved 26 countries and 5,426 young people in Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the US as well as 600 people in Egypt, Kenya and Uganda and is supported by the WCD Youth Task Force and a coalition of 11 international organisations with an interest in sexual health.

The results are significant as the level of unplanned pregnancies is a major global concern, particularly among young people, added the spokesman.

Worldwide, approximately 41 per cent of the 208 million pregnancies which occur each year are unintended.

“In addition to this, one in 20 adolescent girls gets a bacterial infection through sexual contact every year while the age at which infections are acquired is becoming younger and younger,” said the spokesman.

Jennifer Woodside of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, an NGO partner of WCD, said, “What young people are telling us is that they are not receiving enough sex education, or the wrong type of information about sex and sexuality”.

“It should not come as a surprise then that the result is that many young people having unprotected sex and that harmful myths continue to flourish in place of accurate information.

Many respondents who reported that they had experienced problems obtaining contraception when they needed it said that this was because they did not know which method to look for or because they did not know where to get it from.

In addition to this, approximately half of the young people surveyed in some African and European countries believe that the ‘withdrawal method’ is an effective method of contraception when in fact it is highly unreliable

According to the survey, there are many countries where sex education is not provided. Overall, in Europe around half of respondents receive sex education compared to three quarters in Latin America,Asia Pacific and the US.

Key survey results

• Since 2009 the number of people having sex without contraception with a new partner has increased by 111 per cent in France (from 19 per cent to 40 per cent), 39 per cent in the US (from 38 per cent to 53 per cent) and by 19 per cent in Great Britain (from 36 per cent to 43 per cent).

• On average, only half of young people surveyed across Europe (55 per cent) receive sex education in school compared to three quarters across Latin America (78 per cent), Asia Pacific (76 per cent) and the US (74 per cent).

• Over half of the young people surveyed in China, Estonia, Kenya, Korea, Norway and Thailand reported having had unprotected sex with a new partner at least once.

• In Egypt 36 per cent of men and women believe that bathing or showering after sex is an effective form of contraception. Having sex during menstruation is considered an effective way to prevent a pregnancy by more than a quarter of respondents in Thailand (28 per cent) and India (26 per cent).

• 42 per cent of respondents in Asia Pacific and 28 per cent in Europe who could not get hold of contraception when they needed it claimed it was because they were too embarrassed to ask a healthcare professional.

• 22 per cent of young people across Asia Pacific, 20 per cent across Europe and 14 per cent in Latin America said that their school does not provide a comfortable environment for questions on sexuality and intimacy.