Unprotected sex alarm in Europe. A new urgent report from the regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO) warns of a “worrying decline in condom use among adolescents”, which is countered by an “increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies”. The consequences, warns WHO Europe, are far-reaching. In detail, the report shows that the share of sexually active teenagers who used a condom during their last sexual intercourse dropped from 70% to 61% between 2014 and 2022 of boys and from 63% to 57% of girls. A trend also highlighted by a recent Adnkronos survey.
The survey data
The European regional office of the UN agency highlights on the other hand “high rates of unprotected sex: almost a third of adolescents (30%) said they had not used either a condom or the contraceptive pill in their last sexual intercoursea figure that remained virtually unchanged from 2018. Teenagers from low-income families were more likely to report not using condoms or birth control pills than their peers from wealthier families (33% versus 25%).
As for the contraceptive pill, the analysis shows that its use remained relatively stable between 2014 and 2022, with 26% of 15-year-olds reporting that they had used it when they last had sex. The new data were released as part of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey, which interviewed more than 242,000 15-year-olds in 42 countries and regions from 2014 to 2022.
The fact that “a substantial percentage of sexually active fifteen year olds have unprotected sexcan have far-reaching consequences for young people, including unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions and an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Evidence suggests that the high prevalence of unprotected sex points to significant gaps in comprehensive and age-appropriate sexuality education.”
And, WHO Europe continues, what is also clear is that “the decline in condom use is pervasive, spanning multiple countries and regions, some of which are experiencing more drastic reductions than others”. For the experts of the UN health agency, all this highlights “the urgent need for targeted interventions to address these worrying trends and promote safer sexual practices among young people”. Although the findings of the report are “disheartening, they are not surprising”, observes the director of WHO Europe Hans Kluge.
“Comprehensive and age-appropriate sexuality education remains neglected in many countries,” it reports, “and where it is available, it has come under increasing attack in recent years on the false premise that it encourages sexual behavior, when the truth is that equipping young people with the right knowledge at the right time leads to optimal health outcomes linked to responsible behavior and choices. We are reaping the bitter fruits of these reactionary efforts, and the worst is yet to come unless governments, health authorities, the education sector and other key stakeholders truly recognize the root causes of the current situation and take steps to remedy them.”
WHO: “We must act”
For Kluge there is a need for “immediate and sustained actionsupported by data and evidence, to stop this cascade of negative outcomes, including the likelihood of higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases, higher healthcare costs and, not least, interrupted educational and career paths for young people who do not receive the timely information and support they need”. The report, it explains, while pointing out what is wrong, also suggests a roadmap for action: they ask “sustainable investments in comprehensive sexuality education and age-appropriate, youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services, and policies and environments that support adolescent health and rights.”
The WHO Regional Office for Europe “calls on policy makers, educators and health workers to prioritise adolescent sexual health” by implementing and funding evidence-based sexuality education programmes in schools that cover a wide range of topics, including contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, consent, healthy relationships, gender equality and LGBTQIA+ issues; promoting youth-friendly, non-judgmental, accessible sexual health services; encouraging open dialogue and to reduce stigma and raise awareness; training educators; and investigating the reasons behind declining condom use and so on to inform targeted interventions. This includes analysing messages and other content adolescents are exposed to on social media and online platforms. “Ultimately, what we are trying to achieve for young people is a solid foundation for life and love,” Kluge concludes. “This is what all parents and families should want for their children, everywhere.”
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