Major New Research on Contraception and Crisis Pregnancy Published by the HSE Sexual Health & Crisis Pregnancy Programme

– Young People Report Improvements in Sex Education and Contraceptive Use –
– Crisis Pregnancy still an Issue for Women in Ireland –

Thursday, 10th May 2012 – New Research on contraception, sexual health and crisis pregnancy published today by the HSE Sexual Health & Crisis Pregnancy Programme shows improvements in sex education and contraceptive use among young people. This nationally representative study, the Irish Contraception and Crisis Pregnancy Survey, questioned 3002 people living in Ireland in 2010 on a range of topics including contraception, sex education, crisis pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The work was carried out by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). The findings of this survey can be compared to the findings of the first Irish Contraception and Crisis Pregnancy survey, conducted in 2003 to chart changes in knowledge and sexual behaviour over a seven year period. (see Note 1)

Findings show that young people are more likely to receive sex education now than in the past. 86% of 18-25 year olds compared to 76% of 26-35 year olds and 57% of 36-45 year olds received sex education. Of those who received sex education, approximately 90% of 18-25 year olds said that they received it in school, compared with 80% of 26-35 year olds. The quality of the sex education they received has also increased with approximately 70% of 18-25 year olds saying that the sex education they received was helpful to them in their adult relationships, compared to 60% of 26-35 year olds.

The age of first sex has not decreased over the last 7 years. The median age remains 17 years for men and has increased slightly for women, to 18 years (from 17 years). 15% of 18-25 year olds surveyed had not had sex yet, compared to 13% in 2003. Approximately 90% of adults aged between18-25 reported that they used contraception the first time they had sex compared to 80% of 26-35 year olds. Those who received sex education that they considered to be helpful were almost twice as likely to use contraception when having sex for the first time.

Adults who received sex education at home or in school were 1.5 times more likely to use contraception the first time they had sex, when compared with those who had received sex education from other sources. This finding is significant as there has been a decline over the two surveys in the number of parents reporting that they have spoken to their child about sex and related matters, from 82% to 70%.

In general, consistent use of contraception among young people is high and increasing. Approximately 80% of 18-25 year olds now report that they use contraception every time they have sex. There has also been an increase from 4% to 12% in young people using more reliable methods of contraception such as the implant, injection, the contraceptive ring and the contraceptive patch.

Commenting on the findings, Professor Hannah McGee, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland said: “These are very positive findings, particularly at a time when teenagers and young people are under increased pressure to become sexually active. The findings are backed up by the significant decrease in teenage births in Ireland over the last 10 years and in the reduction in the number of girls under age 20 travelling to the UK for abortion services. When young people become sexually active nowadays, the evidence suggests that they are more likely to use contraception. Condoms and the pill are the most popular methods of contraception among young people, condoms being particularly important in preventing transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Increasing numbers of young women are now choosing more reliable forms of contraception, such as the contraceptive patch or contraceptive implant, in order to prevent pregnancy.” (See Note 2)

Director of the HSE Sexual Health & Crisis Pregnancy Programme, Dr. Stephanie O’Keeffe said: “Improved sex education has undoubtedly played a role in the reduction of teenage pregnancies. The HSE Sexual Health & Crisis Pregnancy Programme has undertaken a significant programme of work in conjunction with the Department of Education and Skills, the SPHE Support Service and other organisations in order to achieve these improvements. It is concerning that there has been a reduction in the number of parents who have spoken to their children about relationships and sex. We know that sex education provided by parents and schools is much more helpful to young people than sex education provided by their peers or other sources.” (See Note 3)

Crisis Pregnancy
Approximately one in three women living in Ireland in 2010 who have ever been pregnant have experienced a crisis pregnancy. This is similar to the 2009 Pregnancy at Work survey, which found that one in three women who had given birth between July 2007 and June 2009 had defined that pregnancy as a crisis.

While the pregnancy rate for women under 25 has remained relatively stable over the last 10 years, a higher proportion of these women are defining their pregnancies as crisis pregnancies in the 2010 survey, compared to the 2003 survey. In the 2003 survey, 52% of young women who had been pregnant said that their pregnancy was a crisis pregnancy. In the 2010 survey it had increased to 66%.

Dr O’Keeffe said: “Crisis Pregnancy is still an issue for women living in Ireland, although for perhaps different reasons than it was in the past. The primary reason why a woman defines a pregnancy as a crisis is because the pregnancy is not planned – this remained stable across both surveys. More young women in the 2010 survey reported that they viewed their pregnancy as a crisis because they were “too young”, even though the majority of these pregnancies were occurring to women in their mid-twenties. This may be indicative of cultural changes regarding the most desirable age to have a baby. The average age of first-time mothers has increased in recent years. While women are less likely nowadays to define a pregnancy as a crisis because they are not married, the proportion of women reporting that the pregnancy was a crisis for financial reasons has increased from 2% in 2003 to 9% in 2010, which is reflective of the current economic climate.”

STIs
This current study suggests an increase over time in the number of adults reporting that they had been screened and/or diagnosed with HIV or an STI. Overall, 36% of adults reported that they had been tested for HIV in their lifetime (see Note 4). 20% of men and 32% of women had been screened for an STI other than HIV and 14% of those screened reporting a positive diagnosis.

Dr. Kevin Kelleher, HSE Assistant National Director for Health Protection commented: “Recent increases in STI diagnosis can be partly attributed to increases in the levels of screening, but data from this report demonstrates that we cannot be complacent. It is critical that sexually active adults take responsibility for their sexual health, use condoms to reduce STI transmission and attend for regular STI screening.”

A copy of the report can be downloaded here

ENDS
For further information contact:
HSE National Press Office
Dr Steevens’ Hospital
Dublin 8
01 6352840 or press@hse.ie

Note to Editors:
1.There is a difference in the sample between 2003 and 2010. In 2003, 90% of the sample originated in from the Republic of Ireland. In the 2010 survey, 78% of the sample originated from the Republic of Ireland.
2.Since the establishment of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency in 2001, the number of births to teenagers has declined from 3,087 in 2001 to 2,019 in 2010. The birth rate for females aged under 20 years, had declined substantially from 20 births per 1,000 females 15 – 19 years in 2001 to 15 births per 1,000 females 15 – 19 years in 2010.
3.The Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) Support Service is a part of the Department of Education and Skills.
4.It is noteworthy that many women may have been tested for HIV as part of the Voluntary Antenatal Testing in Ireland campaign.