There has been a decline in the use of condoms among young people having sex, according to a new report from The Associated Press (AP).
Fewer teens and young adults are having sex, but those who are having sex aren’t using condoms as regularly and some aren’t using condoms at all.
There are multiple reasons for this new trend, such as long-term birth control options, drugs that prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, a lessening fear of contracting HIV and widely varying degrees of sex education in schools.
Meanwhile, in 2022, people aged 15 to 24 contributed to half of new chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis cases.
“We know that condom use has declined among some groups, but they still have an important role to play in STI prevention,” Dr. Bradley Stoner, director of the Centers of Disease Control (CDC)’s Division of STD Prevention, told the AP.
Stoner continued: “Condoms can be accessed without navigating the health care system, can be used on-demand, are generally affordable and most importantly—they are effective at preventing HIV and STIs when used consistently and correctly.”
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A Shift Away From Condoms
There is also a shift in attitudes associated with condom usage which Magan Perry, a senior at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, explained.
“Using a condom is just a big, ‘uh, no,'” Perry, president of the college’s Public Health Student Association, told the AP.
Perry continued: “I’ve had friends who go home with a guy and say they’re not having sex unless they use a condom, and immediately the reaction is either a reluctant, ‘OK, fine,’ or ‘If you don’t trust me, then I shouldn’t even be here.'”
Dr. Joseph Cherabie, medical director of the St. Louis HIV Prevention Training Center, told the AP that women have long had the responsibility of preventing pregnancy or STIs and buying condoms or emergency contraceptives.
For men who have sex with men, as the fear of contracting HIV has subsided, so has condom use, according to a study that came out earlier this year.
Steven Goodreau, an HIV expert at the University of Washington who led the study, believes the promotion of PrEP is overshadowing condoms as an HIV prevention strategy.
There is also a new drug called Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis, or doxy PEP, that can help prevent chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis if taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex. The new drug is gaining popularity among men who have sex with men and transgender women. There is also the possibility it could be used by women to prevent STIs but trials are still being conducted.
Sex Education
Sex education varies from state to state as there is no national standard, according to Michelle Slaybaugh, policy and advocacy director for the Sexuality Information and Education Council for the United States, who spoke to the AP.
Not every state mandates sex education and less than half of states require information on contraception.
Some states emphasize abstinence like Mississippi. Condom demonstrations are banned in Mississippi classrooms, but abstinence-focused sex education in the Magnolia state can involve the discussion of condoms and contraceptives.
There are differing views on abstinence-focused sex education.
Focus on the Family analyst Jeff Johnston told the AP that abstinence-focused sex education is “age-appropriate” and keeps students safe and healthy. Focus on the Family is a Christian organization that advocates for teaching abstinence until marriage.
Meanwhile, Josh McCawley, deputy director of Teen Health Mississippi, an organization that works with youth to increase access to health resources, told the AP: “The obvious consequence is the rise of sexually transmitted infections, which is what we’re seeing right now, which can be a burden on the health care system.”
McCawley added: “But also there could be long-term consequences for young people in terms of thinking about what it means to be healthy and how to protect themselves, and that goes beyond a person’s sexual health.”
