Sexual Health Week 2009 in Australia

By William Atkins
Monday, 09 November 2009 18:09

Science - Health

The first-ever Sexual Health Week began on November 9, 2009, and will run through November 15. As part of SHW2009, a survey has shown that nearly all adult Australians, taking part in the study, have had unprotected sex, but only about half of them have had a test for sexually transmitted infection.


A survey conducted as part of Sexual Health Week in Australia found that of one thousand people polled, between the ages of 18 and 40 years, 93.1% said they had had unprotected sex in the past.

Of those having sex without a condom (unprotected sex), 56.2% said they have never taken a test for sexually transmitted infection (STI).

Jill Michelson, the national clinical adviser for Marie Stopes International, stated, "The majority of safe sex campaigns are targeted at youth these days, yet this research shows that 35- to 40-year-olds are just as exposed to unsafe sex practices.”

She adds, "More needs to be done to get the message to them to stop." [News.com.au: “Unprotected sex 'common in older adults'”]

Other findings of the study are:

•    47.5% of the participants of the study, 35 to 40 years of age, said they were not in a monogamous relationship when they last had unprotected sex.

•    Of the people surveyed, those 18 to 24 years of age and those 35 to 40 years of age were the least likely to have had even one STI test.

The study also surveyed women versus men with respect to the likelihood of ever having a STI check-up. The conclusion is found on page two.