Sexual health is not a subject which many young Singaporeans take very seriously, according to a new survey that has been carried out. When speaking to young, sexually active people in Singapore, the survey found that a worrying 61 per cent of those questioned said that they do not use contraception, even when they are with a new partner.
This is a marked increase of 12 per cent, from the 49 per cent the previous year who stated that they were not using regular contraception. These results were released to coincide with World Contraception Day, and were taken from a study which assessed the wellbeing and sexual health of 100 men and 100 women aged between 16 and 19 years old.
Dr Sundardas Annamalay, vice president of Singapore’s Planned Parenthood Association, blames the effect of the media for this surge in young people who disregard their wellness. He states that the focus on the media is on instant sexual gratification. He feels that the media has influenced people to think that using contraception is not cool. Certainly, although more than 80 per cent of those surveyed said they were aware of the importance of using contraception, many still did not routinely bother with it at all.
When surveyed about preparing for a sexual encounter, two-thirds of the people in the category surveyed said that they thought that personal hygiene and grooming were more important than preparing any contraception.
Many parents in Singapore do not talk to their children about contraception, and therefore important messages about safety are not being transmitted. This leaves many young people believing in myths, and relying on ineffective contraception such as the withdrawal method.
Teenage pregnancy is at a rate of 8.4 per 1,000 people, which is still fairly low, but the rates of sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise, with 133 in every 100,000 people.
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