More Youngsters Having Unsafe Sex: Global Study

Since 2009, the numbers of youths reporting sex with a new partner without using contraception grew from 19 percent to 40 percent in France, from 38 percent to 53 percent in the United States, and from 36 percent to 43 percent in Great Britain, a new survey suggests. Undertaken on behalf of hormonal contraceptive maker Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, the survey of more than 6,000 people in 29 countries was released ahead of World Contraception Day, Sept. 26, and endorsed by 11 non-governmental reproductive health organizations.

Among the report’s findings:
*Just 55 percent of young people in Europe reported receiving school-based sex education, compared to 78 percent in Latin America, 76 percent in Asia Pacific, and 74 percent in the United States.
*Being too embarrassed to speak honestly with a health care professional was a major barrier to contraception, cited by 42 percent of youths lacking access in Asia Pacific, 38 percent in Europe, 27 percent in Latin America and 24 percent in United States.
*Bathing or showering after sex was cited as possibly contraceptive by more than a third of Egyptian respondents.
*More than a quarter of participants in Thailand and India believed sex during menstruation was effectively contraceptive.

For more information about the survey, “Clueless or Clued Up: Your Right to Be Informed About Contraception,” visit: http://www.your-life.com/en/home/media_center/wcd_annual_survey/media_report_2011/index.php.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

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