WHO Europe laments declining rates of condom use among sexually active teens worldwide

The World Health Organization’s workplace for Europe on Thursday decried a decline in condom use by adolescents in recent times, warning of dangers of an infection and unplanned pregnancies in nations from Canada to central Asia.

The findings come within the newest report by WHO Europe on well being conduct in school-age kids and have been drawn from surveys of practically a quarter-million 15-year-olds throughout 42 nations between 2014 and 2022.

“While outcomes diversified extensively throughout the nations and areas, a very powerful noticed pattern because the (well being conduct in school-age kids survey) in 2014 is of declines in some nations and areas in condom use amongst sexually energetic 15-year-olds,” mentioned Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO Europe regional director, in a preface to the report.

He mentioned the outcomes, which additionally examined use of the contraceptive capsule, have been “dismaying” however “not shocking,” in gentle of uncared for sexuality schooling in lots of nations. WHO and the authors urged decision-makers to do extra to enhance it.

In the nations the place “age-appropriate” sexuality schooling is out there, “it has more and more come beneath assault in recent times on the false premise that it encourages sexual conduct,” Kluge added.

Among the sexually energetic teenagers surveyed, the proportion of boys who mentioned they’d used a condom of their final sexual activity dropped to 61% in 2022, from 70% in 2014. Among lady respondents, the determine dropped to 57% from 63% over the identical span.

Overall, the proportion of teenagers who reported having intercourse remained “comparatively secure” since 2014 — with one in 5 15-year-old boys and 15% of ladies of the identical age reporting having had intercourse. The determine for boys was down barely from 2018, when one in 4 reported having had intercourse.

Among different findings, teenagers from poorer, or “low-affluence,” households, have been extra prone to have reported not utilizing a condom — one in three in comparison with one in 4 amongst teenagers from wealthier backgrounds, Copenhagen, Denmark-based WHO Europe mentioned.

Condom use amongst women was lowest in Albania (24%) and highest in Serbia (81%), the report discovered. For boys, the bottom price of use turned up in Sweden (43%), whereas the best price was in Switzerland (77%).

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