FeatsofClay
10-16-2007, 07:55 AM
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071015.SEX15/TPStory/National
Youth start sex at same age as their parents, grandparents did
Practices unchanged in decades, report says
ANDRÉ PICARD
PUBLIC HEALTH REPORTER
October 15, 2007
The common media image of today's youth is that they have, under a steady barrage of sexually charged images, become increasingly precocious - engaging in intercourse at a younger and younger age and with a dizzying array of partners.
But the reality, according to a new report entitled Sexual Health in Canada, is that adolescent sexual practices have remained largely unchanged for decades. "Young people aren't having sex any younger than their parents or grandparents," Linda Capperauld, executive director of the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health, said in an interview.
Nor - despite suggestive music videos, ready access to Internet porn and creeping hemlines - are more teens having sex.
Nationwide, only 28 per cent of adolescents age 15 to 17 report having had sex, a figure that rises to 65 per cent by age 18 to 19.
All told, the mean age for sexual intercourse is 16.5 years, about where it's been since the sexual revolution that was launched by today's baby boomers.
Despite the closing gender gap - equal numbers of boys and girls now say they have had sex - the primary reason for not having done so remains remarkably unchanged from previous generations: Most girls said they were not ready, while most boys reported a lack of opportunity. The No. 2 reason for both sexes is the same: "I haven't met the right person."
But when they do, teens are remarkably faithful. The number with a single sexual partner is on the rise.
The 150-page report also contains some grim news. The number of teens with sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis is soaring.
And condom use is declining, with fewer than one in five young people consistently using a condom.
"This tells me they're not getting consistent quality education," Ms. Capperauld said.
"I think we're really letting young people down when it comes to sexual and reproductive health."
Ms. Capperauld said sex-education courses in school still focus largely on "plumbing" and while it is true that a lot of information is available to curious teens on the Web, they still need help putting it into context.
"They want someone to talk to," she said. "In my experience, most young people are doing their best to be responsible about their sexual health, but we put up all kinds of barriers."
An overwhelming majority of sexually active high school students report using some form of contraception, but the focus is principally on pregnancy prevention, not avoidance of STIs, the data show.
After age 14, condom use steadily declines and reliance on oral contraceptives (birth-control pills) increases. What seems to be occurring is that barrier methods are being dropped once young people enter into monogamous relationships.
"They seem to have a naive belief they won't contract STIs," Ms. Capperauld said.
The number of teen pregnancies has decreased steadily in the past decade, and so has the number of abortions, which are commonplace among pregnant adolescents.
For every 100 pregnant teens who gives birth, another 122 have an abortion, according to the report.
Sexual Health In Canada features little new data. Rather it is a compilation and précis of information drawn from a wide variety of sources.
Sex trends
In addition to national data, the new report, Sexual Health in Canada, features detailed information on sexual trends in every province and territory. Highlights show the following:
B.C.: It has the highest rate of new cases of HIV.
Alberta: The chlamydia rate in teenagers has doubled in recent years.
Saskatchewan: Only one in three pregnant teens has an abortion, the lowest rate in Canada.
Manitoba: It has the highest teen pregnancy rate.
Ontario: It has the highest rate of reported condom use among teens.
Quebec: Young people are the most sexually active, with 74 per cent having intercourse by age 24, compared with a national average of 62 per cent.
New Brunswick: Teens are the most sexually precocious, with 38 per cent having had intercourse by age 14 to 15.
Nova Scotia: Rates of gonorrhea and syphilis are among the lowest in Canada here.
PEI: The only province where abortion services are not available to women.
Newfoundland and Labrador: The only province where teen pregnancies are on the rise.
Yukon: Teen pregnancy and teen abortion rates here are double the national average.
Northwest Territories: Gonorrhea rate is the highest in Canada, 100 times the national average.
Nunavut: Where women suffer the most sexual violence, with a rate of reported sexual offences 12 times the national average.
Source: Canadian Federation for Sexual Health
Notice, low in the article, that chlamydia rates have doubled in teenagers. Is it possible that the biggest problems in teen and early adult sexuality is from the faked prudishness of the parents and caregivers?
Youth start sex at same age as their parents, grandparents did
Practices unchanged in decades, report says
ANDRÉ PICARD
PUBLIC HEALTH REPORTER
October 15, 2007
The common media image of today's youth is that they have, under a steady barrage of sexually charged images, become increasingly precocious - engaging in intercourse at a younger and younger age and with a dizzying array of partners.
But the reality, according to a new report entitled Sexual Health in Canada, is that adolescent sexual practices have remained largely unchanged for decades. "Young people aren't having sex any younger than their parents or grandparents," Linda Capperauld, executive director of the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health, said in an interview.
Nor - despite suggestive music videos, ready access to Internet porn and creeping hemlines - are more teens having sex.
Nationwide, only 28 per cent of adolescents age 15 to 17 report having had sex, a figure that rises to 65 per cent by age 18 to 19.
All told, the mean age for sexual intercourse is 16.5 years, about where it's been since the sexual revolution that was launched by today's baby boomers.
Despite the closing gender gap - equal numbers of boys and girls now say they have had sex - the primary reason for not having done so remains remarkably unchanged from previous generations: Most girls said they were not ready, while most boys reported a lack of opportunity. The No. 2 reason for both sexes is the same: "I haven't met the right person."
But when they do, teens are remarkably faithful. The number with a single sexual partner is on the rise.
The 150-page report also contains some grim news. The number of teens with sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis is soaring.
And condom use is declining, with fewer than one in five young people consistently using a condom.
"This tells me they're not getting consistent quality education," Ms. Capperauld said.
"I think we're really letting young people down when it comes to sexual and reproductive health."
Ms. Capperauld said sex-education courses in school still focus largely on "plumbing" and while it is true that a lot of information is available to curious teens on the Web, they still need help putting it into context.
"They want someone to talk to," she said. "In my experience, most young people are doing their best to be responsible about their sexual health, but we put up all kinds of barriers."
An overwhelming majority of sexually active high school students report using some form of contraception, but the focus is principally on pregnancy prevention, not avoidance of STIs, the data show.
After age 14, condom use steadily declines and reliance on oral contraceptives (birth-control pills) increases. What seems to be occurring is that barrier methods are being dropped once young people enter into monogamous relationships.
"They seem to have a naive belief they won't contract STIs," Ms. Capperauld said.
The number of teen pregnancies has decreased steadily in the past decade, and so has the number of abortions, which are commonplace among pregnant adolescents.
For every 100 pregnant teens who gives birth, another 122 have an abortion, according to the report.
Sexual Health In Canada features little new data. Rather it is a compilation and précis of information drawn from a wide variety of sources.
Sex trends
In addition to national data, the new report, Sexual Health in Canada, features detailed information on sexual trends in every province and territory. Highlights show the following:
B.C.: It has the highest rate of new cases of HIV.
Alberta: The chlamydia rate in teenagers has doubled in recent years.
Saskatchewan: Only one in three pregnant teens has an abortion, the lowest rate in Canada.
Manitoba: It has the highest teen pregnancy rate.
Ontario: It has the highest rate of reported condom use among teens.
Quebec: Young people are the most sexually active, with 74 per cent having intercourse by age 24, compared with a national average of 62 per cent.
New Brunswick: Teens are the most sexually precocious, with 38 per cent having had intercourse by age 14 to 15.
Nova Scotia: Rates of gonorrhea and syphilis are among the lowest in Canada here.
PEI: The only province where abortion services are not available to women.
Newfoundland and Labrador: The only province where teen pregnancies are on the rise.
Yukon: Teen pregnancy and teen abortion rates here are double the national average.
Northwest Territories: Gonorrhea rate is the highest in Canada, 100 times the national average.
Nunavut: Where women suffer the most sexual violence, with a rate of reported sexual offences 12 times the national average.
Source: Canadian Federation for Sexual Health
Notice, low in the article, that chlamydia rates have doubled in teenagers. Is it possible that the biggest problems in teen and early adult sexuality is from the faked prudishness of the parents and caregivers?