No Condom Culture

It’s a topic that adolescents are preached to about in many health classes and sexual education programs in schools:  condom use.  Aside from recommending abstinence as the best form of contraceptive, condoms are considered the least expensive type of contraceptive and the easiest to obtain.  Although the education and knowledge of condom use is evident and the access to condoms is high, the percentage of young people that are using condoms has stalled, which is inevitably raising the STD rates.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the percentage of American students using condoms hit its peak at around 60% a decade ago.  The Sex Information and Education Council of Canada also reports in a recent study that nearly 50% of sexually active college students aren’t using condoms.  It is found that teenagers are likely to use a condom the first time they have sex, but their condom use becomes inconsistent after the initial time. 

 

This is an alarming issue as we are seeing STD infections rise.  The CDC estimates that half of the new STD infections occur among young people.  Chlamydia and gonorrhea are contracted at four times the rate for individuals 15 to 24 years of age compared to the general population.  People in their 20s have the highest reported cases of syphilis and HIV. 

 

I personally think much of the decline in the use of condoms could be due to an “untouchable” mentality that many youth have these days.  By this I mean adolescents do not think that they would or could contract a disease and even if they do, they know that there are many types of treatments to help manage specific STDs.  Now that the hype of the HIV/AIDS epidemic is not as prominent as it was in the ‘80s and ‘90s, I feel we are losing sight of this issue as a country.  I would hate to see another spike in the transmission of HIV just because there aren’t as many large scale national campaigns keeping it in the forefront of people’s minds. 

 

There are also other factors that could be playing into the reason condom use is declining.  There have been setbacks in public institutions and budget cuts have led to many STD clinics and resources closing their doors.  It is a fact that people won’t stop having sex just because of a bad economy.  Other societal factors could be to blame also.  Demographics is seen as an influencing factor.  For example, African-American youth have parents that are less educated and have lower incomes compared to the population as a whole.  Both of these factors have been linked to sexually risky behaviors, including not using a condom. 

 

As individuals about to embark in the public health sector, it is important to help keep this topic relevant and in the public eye.  It is also imperative to recommend being tested for STDs on a regular basis.  I think there is much stigma that some individuals feel about being seen going to such a clinic.  We need to get rid of this mentality as a nation.  Prevention is always better than treatment. 

 

 

Time Magazine.  Steinmetz, Katy.  (No) Condom Culture:  Why Teens Aren’t Practicing Safe Sex.  November 12, 2013.

 

http://www.theprovince.com/health/Just+half+Canadian+university+students+condom+during+alarming+survey+finds/9074213/story.html