Nearly half of sexually active 15-year-olds in Ireland do not use condoms, WHO finds – The Irish Times

Almost half of sexually active 15-year-olds in Ireland did not use a condom during their last sexual intercourse, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO).

On Thursday, the WHO's European office published new research indicating high rates of unprotected sex among adolescents across the Union. According to the organization, this has “significant health and safety implications.”

According to the report, known as the 2022 National Health Behavior Survey of School-Aged Children, 44 percent of 15-year-old boys said they or their partner did not use a condom during their last sexual intercourse, compared to 49 percent of girls.

Another 6 percent of boys and 2 percent of girls did not know whether they or their partner had used a condom during their last sexual intercourse.

In addition, 73 percent of boys said that they or their partner had not taken the pill during their last sexual intercourse, compared to 59 percent of girls.

About 6 percent of boys said they did not know whether they or their partner was taking the pill; for girls, this figure was less than 0.5 percent.

The study also examined the frequency of sexual activity. In Ireland, the prevalence is significantly lower than in many other countries studied, at 10 percent of 15-year-olds.

However, this value is also influenced by wealth: the frequency with which boys from less wealthy families have had sex is significantly higher among boys from wealthy families (19 percent) than among boys from wealthy families (8 percent).

Overall, across Europe, the proportion of sexually active adolescents who used a condom during their last sexual intercourse fell from 70 percent to 61 percent for boys and from 63 percent to 57 percent for girls between 2014 and 2022.

Dr András Költő of the University of Galway and lead author of the report said comprehensive sexuality education was “key to closing these gaps and empowering all young people to make informed decisions about sex”.

“But education must go beyond simply providing information. Young people need safe spaces to discuss issues such as consent, intimate relationships, gender identity and sexual orientation,” he said.

Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said the report's findings were “dismaying” but “not surprising.”

“Age-appropriate and comprehensive sexuality education continues to be neglected in many countries and, where it is available, has come under increasing criticism in recent years. It is wrongly believed that it promotes sexual behaviour. In reality, however, providing the right knowledge to young people at the right time leads to optimal health outcomes associated with responsible behaviour and decision-making,” he said.