World Contraception Day encourages taking control of your sexual health
Written by Meghan Hoodhood, Oct 3, 2011, 0 Comments
Approximately 41 percent of the 208 million pregnancies worldwide are unintended, according to a study commissioned by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals for the fifth annual World Contraception Day, Sept. 26.
World Contraception Day is a collaborative movement between several non-governmental organizations to improve global knowledge of contraception, enabling young people to make more informed choices for their sexual and reproductive health. It seeks a world where every pregnancy is wanted.
The survey, titled “Clueless or Clued Up: your Right to be Informed About Contraception,” found a rapid increase of people who have had unprotected sex with a new partner since 2009, including a 39 percent increase in the U.S., to 53 percent, and an 111 percent increase in France, to 40 percent.
The survey also discovered that young people reported high levels of unprotected sex and faced barriers to obtaining trustworthy information about sex and contraception.
“What young people are telling us is that they are not receiving enough sex education or the wrong type of information about sex and sexuality,” said Jennifer Woodside of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, a partner of WCD.
While not a top priority, the USFSP Health and Wellness Center will bring attention to contraception at Harbor Lawn events during October.
“We tend to focus on specific months to recognize matters that need more awareness, but we still intend on addressing the issues next month,” said Leila Durr, a psychologist at the Health and Wellness Center.
The center distributes free condoms, has information about maintaining healthy relationships, and provides HIV testing.
For more information on WCD and the sexual health survey, visit www.your-life.com.
Photo by Daniel Mutter.
