More young people having unsafe sex

43% of sexually active 16- to 19-year-olds admit to unprotected sex with new partner compared with 36% in 2009, finds study The proportion of young people admitting to having had unprotected sex with a new partner has risen over the past two years, according to a study. A study of British 16- to 19-year-olds has shown 61% have had sex, with 43% of those who were sexually active admitting to having had sex with a new partner without using contraception compared to 36% in 2009. Of those who admitted having had unprotected sex with a new partner, 23% said they had done so because their partner did not like using contraception, while 15% said they had been drunk and forgot. The proportion of girls and young women who said they had a close friend or family member who had an unplanned pregnancy rose from 36% in 2009 to 55% this year. Only 55% said they considered themselves to be very well-informed about all the contraceptive options available compared to 62% of boys and young men, according to the study. A total of 16% of both sexes said they believed the “withdrawal method” was an effective form of contraception. Nearly one in five girls and young women, 19%, and 16% of boys and young men said they did not receive any kind of sex education at school, with 16% of both sexes saying they did not trust their teachers to provide accurate and unbiased information about contraceptive choices. Researchers surveyed 200 British young people as part of a study of 6,026 15- to 24-year-olds in 29 countries conducted in April and May. The findings have been released to coincide with World Contraception Day, a campaign to improve awareness of contraception. Jennifer Woodside, of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said: “What the results show is that too many young people either 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 pregnancies or sexual transmitted infections (STIs). “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 many young people having unprotected sex and that harmful myths continue to flourish in place of accurate information.” Sex education Young people Schools Sex Sexual health Health guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 26, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.