Feature: Young People And Sexual Health In The UK

Platform2 [1] returnee Elaine Wong takes a closer look at the shocking rise of STIs among under 25s  in the UK and the people behind the stats...

I’ve been back in the UK for just over a month after spending a week at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna [2] as a conference volunteer. I met people directly affected by HIV/AIDS, either living with HIV/AIDS themselves or within a community that has seen the devastating impact it has. Hearing about statistics doesn’t even come close to meeting real people, especially those living in developing countries and not receiving the treatment they should be entitled to as a basic human right.

As it was an international conference, I found myself engaging with young people from across the globe about sexual health. We compared how our different societies and governments educated young people about protecting themselves against STIs and whether there was still stigma attached to talking about sexual health. Before I arrived in Vienna for the conference, I hadn’t given too much thought to attitudes towards sexual health here in the UK. I was surprised when I realised that, as a generation, young people just aren’t talking about sexual health.

"Of all the 15-24-year-olds diagnosed with an STI last year, around one in 10 of these will become re-infected within a year."

Let’s get one thing straight: talking about sexual health isn’t about discussing the intimate details of your personal life to your peers. It’s about being educated about the enormous amount of choice you have when it comes to protection. Including simply using it and taking a stand against STIs, which can have devastating and life-changing implications.

If we’re aware of the risks associated with unprotected sex, why do the rates of new infection and unplanned pregnancies remain as they are? Why don’t young people in the UK want to talk about sexual health? Are we really still afraid of talking about our sexual health because of taboos which should long have been broken?

Sandra Chidavaenzi, 24, from Forest Hill, London, is from the Chlamydia Screening Programme of the Terrance Higgins Trust. She spoke about her frustrations and the challenges she faces: the reaction she gets from young people about being tested for Chlamydia, "I'm not dirty... I don't have Chlamydia" is the most common reply. Sandra sees the root of the problem in secondary schools across the UK:

“I think first we need to go to basics. Good sex education in school, preferably by someone who enjoys talking about sexual health...not the embarrassed science teacher who rushes through the lesson to end this excruciating ordeal. Bad sex education in school embeds the stigma that surrounds sexual health.”

The shocking statistics for teenage pregnancies and abortion, as well as figures for STIs speak for themselves. Why are the figures for STIs so high? Even though we are aware of the consequences of unprotected sex, young people are not using protection. New figures released this week by the UK HPA disclose just how big of a problem this is. The rate of new infections in the UK in 2009 was 482,696.

Shockingly around two thirds of the new STI diagnoses were women aged under 25. Although the statistics are impacted by a rise in testing young people, it remains evident that young people are not doing enough to prevent infection. What’s worse it that of all the 15-24-year-olds diagnosed with an STI last year, around one in 10 of these will become re-infected within a year.

Isn’t it time we opened the dialogue about sexual health? It’s about knowing the facts and not being too embarrassed to discuss or use protection. We all know that condoms are effective in preventing STIs, so why aren’t we using them?

Read Elaine's blog [2] to find out more about the International AIDS Conference 2010.

Words and photo: Elaine Wong