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Issue Description
Myths and misinformation about sexual matters are all too prevalent, especially among young people. ChildLine receives nearly 50 calls a day about sex, and the total number of diagnosed sexually transmitted infections in those aged 16 to 19 rose by 24% between 2003 and 2007. This title covers sexual relationships, risky sexual behaviour, the rise of STIs and the ways in which these can be prevented and treated. It also covers the debate surrounding the provision of sex education in schools.
The information comes from a wide range of sources and includes government reports and statistics, newspaper reports, features, magazine articles and surveys, literature from lobby groups and charitable organisations.
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Key Facts
- 51% of people said they would always, and 14% said they would never or rarely, use a condom with a new sexual partner. (page 3)
- Frequent use of alcohol and other drugs is associated with high numbers of sexual partners and decreased likelihood of using protection. (page 3)
- In an international index measuring one-night stands, total numbers of partners and attitudes towards sex, Britain comes out ahead of America, Australia, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands; making the British the most promiscuous of any large western industrial nation. (page 6)
- Nearly 50 children a day call ChildLine because they feel under pressure to have sex or lack basic knowledge about sexual health, relationships, pregnancy and puberty, figures have shown. (page 7)
- Nearly a third of men and a quarter of women aged 16-19 had heterosexual intercourse before they were 16. (page 8)
- The total number of new episodes of selected STIs in men and women aged 16-19 years seen at genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in the UK rose from 46,856 in 2003 to 58,133 in 2007, an increase of 24 per cent. (page 9)
- As many as one in three 16- to 24-year-olds (32%) has had a drunken one-night stand they went on to regret, indicates a report by YouthNet. (page 13)
- There are at least 25 different sexually transmitted diseases with a range of different symptoms. These diseases may be spread through vaginal, anal and oral sex. (page 17)
- In a survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles in Great Britain, 10.8 per cent of men and 12.6 per cent of women aged 16-44 reported ever having a sexually transmitted infection. (page 20)
- Just one in three adults (33%) say they always use a condom with a new partner, a time when it really is important to take precautions. Surprisingly, one in ten Brits (11%) are still too embarrassed to buy condoms – a figure that is just as high amongst older adults as it is amongst Britain’s teenagers. (page 22)
- Women in this country have a 1 in 116 chance of getting cervical cancer at some point in their lives – it is the second most common cancer of women worldwide. (page 38)
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Table of Contents
Chapter One: Sex Matters
Sex, Sex and relationships, Sexual health in 2008, Sex myths, Britain ‘most promiscuous Western nation’, Nearly 50 calls a day to ChildLine about sex, Teenagers: sexual health and behaviour, Teens, sex and the law, Teens positive about first sexual experience, Under pressure, One young person in three has had one-night stand, Sex and substance abuse, Young people and STIs, Sexually transmitted diseases and symptoms, Sexually transmitted infections – statistics, Brits turn a blind eye to STIs.
Chapter Two: Improving Sexual Health
Breaking the cycle of STIs, Methods of protection, Pill still the most popular form of birth control, Pitfalls of condom use, STI testing, ‘Nice girls’ refuse to get checked for STIs, Benefits of school-based clinics, School clinics could reduce pregnancy and infection, Sex education that works, Where do baby rabbits come from?, Sex education plans: too much, too young, Less glove, more love, Just say ‘no’ to abstinence education in the UK, Just the jab, Finger on the pulse.
Key Facts
Glossary
Index
Additional Resources
Acknowledgements
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The Study Guide for: Sexual Health - Volume 173
Each book in the Issues series has a study guide. These four-page guides provide a variety of discussion points and other activities to suit a wide range of ability levels and interests.
Publisher: Independence Educational Publishers
Price: £1.95
ISBN: Coming September 2009
