Most teenagers didn't use condoms the last time they had sex, health officials are concerned

The bowl of free condoms in the student office might need to be dusted off.

The report, based on a recent survey of 15-year-olds in 42 countries, including Canada, is what the World Health Organization calls a worrying situation. Decreasing condom useprotecting against unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

In Canada, about two-thirds of people surveyed who said they had sex in the 2021-22 school year didn't use a condom the last time they had sex. The drop in condom use among boys and four percentage points among girls since 2014 comes as teens realize there's a gap in their sex education classes amid the COVID-19 pandemic, health experts told CBC News.

In August, the Public Health Agency of Canada Chlamydia, gonorrhea Infectious syphilis All of these are on the rise, with Canada seeing an increase of nearly 25%. New HIV Diagnosis 2022 is better than 2021 Saskatchewan Manitoba leads the way with the highest percentage.

The federal government report doesn't provide an age breakdown, but Canadians Health behaviors in school-age children The study that formed the basis of the latest WHO report is an international collaboration that looked at young people aged 11-15 to gain insight into their well-being, health behaviours and social circumstances.

Although condom use has declined, the proportion of sexually active teenagers (one in five, according to the WHO report) has remained fairly stable since 2014.

In light of the report's findings, the founder of LetsStopAIDS said it's clear Canada needs to reform sex education. By state.

The youth-led charity runs sexual health workshops for teens and young adults in Ontario and Saskatchewan, where young people can play games, ask questions and talk openly about sex and health.

“If our political parties are not interested in discussing young people and their sexual histories, this issue will continue to be swept under the rug,” said Shamin Mohammed Jr., the group's founder and president.

Mohammed said Canada is currently Last in the G7 It “doesn't make sense,” he said, that countries are struggling to prevent new HIV infections, which he blames on a lack of accessible, affordable prevention and treatment, especially in rural areas.

Dr Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, who helped produce the report, said sex education had come under increasing attack in recent years because of the false assumption that it encourages sexual behaviour among young people.

“Unfortunately, having such a political backlash around sex education means that young people who are making decisions about whether to become sexually active are not being given the information they need,” said Elizabeth Sawick, dean of the faculty of nursing at the University of British Columbia.

Sawick said young people need culturally appropriate and medically accurate information about safe sex and consent. Another key is making confidential health care more accessible, meaning making sure young people have affordable access to condoms and prescriptions for birth control pills and other contraception methods.

“If they have income issues, or need parents to provide funding or help with prescription processing, that creates barriers,” said Sawick, who began her career as a nurse working with pregnant and adolescent children.

The new report found that contraceptive use rates in Canada remained unchanged, with 36 per cent of female respondents still using it, she said.

Ivano Dekotis, 18, of Mississauga, Ont., said the teens he knows don't view condoms favorably.

“STI prevention and pregnancy prevention are now thought of as preventable through other means, like medication or access to abortion,” Decotis said. “Condom use is not discussed or talked about. It's not in the minds of teenagers.”

More online misunderstandings

Jessica Wood, who surveys 18-24 year olds for the Canadian Council on Sexuality Information and Education, said myths and misconceptions about sex have become more prevalent during the pandemic.

Wood said that when classes were canceled, young people began reaching out to each other for information and talking about sexual and reproductive health. The clinic is closed There was no school nurse or social worker.

“I think there's a lot of misinformation online about sexual health,” she says. “Over the last few years, the percentage of people who say they used a condom the last time they had sex has decreased, along with the percentage of people who say they're worried about STIs.”

Not all STIs have symptoms, so if you don't take barrier forms of prevention, you may unknowingly spread the infection to new or existing partners.

Barriers include condoms and dental dams and can be used in conjunction with medications such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) pills to prevent HIV. Doxy PEPand prevents other sexually transmitted diseases.

But prevention campaigns may not be keeping up, experts say.

Health experts also needed to “step up their efforts” to provide more relevant, consistent and unbiased information, and not just during school hours, she suggested.

Experts told CBC that making protective measures accessible, such as providing condoms, is also important. Free vending machines In a public toilet.

“Young people cannot be victimised or shamed for having sex,” Mohammed said. “I think we as a country can do more to understand and listen.”