According to a new study, young people are having more unprotected sex and know less about contraception options.
The study reported that the number of young people having unsafe sex with a new partner jumped up by 111 percent in France, 39 percent in the U.S. and 19 percent in Britain in the last three years.
Jennifer Woodside of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, an NGO partner of WCD, said in a press release, “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 STIs.”
The Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals survey questioned over 5,426 young people from 26 countries.
The study found that only half of respondents in Europe received sex education from school, compared to three-quarters in Latin America, Asia Pacific and the U.S.
Many of the respondents said they felt too embarrassed to ask a healthcare professional for contraception.
Over a third of respondents in Egypt believe bathing or showering after sex could help prevent pregnancy, while over a 25 percent of those in Thailand and India believe having intercourse during menstruation is an effective form of contraception.
“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,” Woodside said in a press release.
“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 study was prepared for World Contraception Day on Monday.
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