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Thirteen year
olds are having sex
The Health Promotion Agency for
Northern Ireland announced findings about teenagers' sexual
behaviour from a new research study as the eleventh 'World
AIDS Day' put the spotlight on young people.
Young people 'A Force for Change'
is the focus of this year's 'World AIDS Day'. The day is organised
to provide education and awareness of the issues surrounding
HIV and AIDS.
This latest research shows that
of those who have had a boyfriend or girlfriend, almost one
in five between the ages of 12 and16 years reported having
had sexual intercourse. The
average age these young people first experienced sexual intercourse
was 13 and a half years. These research findings are part
of a wider study about the current behaviour of young people.
Dr Brian Gaffney, Chief Executive
of the Health Promotion Agency said: "The focus on young people
on World AIDS Day is useful in highlighting the need to ensure
that information and support are available to help them make
decisions about their sexual health. We believe that young
people should be encouraged to think seriously about the implications
of their behaviour for both their physical and mental health.
"These latest figures show that
while some young people are having sex at a very early age
it would appear that the majority of those surveyed have received
and acted on information to limit the possibility of infection
and unwanted pregnancies. Almost 80% of the young people questioned,
who have had sexual intercourse, had used condoms as a method
of contraception and these in turn offer protection against
sexually transmitted infections such as HIV.
"It is important that young people
recognise that their sexual behaviour has huge implications
for other parts of their lives.
"Currently, as part of the drive
to achieve this the Health Promotion Agency is working with
the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment to
develop a sex education curriculum for schools in Northern
Ireland," he said.
The Agency is also continuing
to promote safer sex messages and highlight that sexually
transmitted infections such as HIV remain an issue in Northern
Ireland, through its Convenience Advertising campaign. The
campaign, which is aimed at young people aged 18 to 35, has
been running since 1995. It features a range of information
about sexual health on posters that are placed on the back
of toilet doors.
These posters are displayed in
the toilets of pubs and clubs that are popular with young
people as well as universities, and have been found to be
an excellent way of getting relatively sensitive information
to this particular age group. It is hoped that by providing
information at different stages of young peoples' development
they will be well informed and motivated to act to ensure
their behaviour does not put their health or their lives at
risk.
END
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