Young people’s knowledge of contraception ‘poor’

Young people in the city are getting their sex education from the Internet and have a poor understanding of contraception, experts said yesterday.

Academics involved in a Shanghai Health and Family Planning Commission survey warned that better provision for sex education at school and in the home must be made.

The study, undertaken by experts from city universities, involved 6,660 young people aged between 14 and 23.

These included around 3,200 students from high schools and vocational schools, with an average age of 16.

According to the survey, 2.4 percent of high school students and 7.3 percent of vocational schools students said they have had sex.

It was suggested that as students at vocational schools are not usually studying for further education places they have more time to form relationships.

But the survey found that barely 19 percent of high school and vocational school students having sex used condoms.

"The most worrying aspect of the research is the lack of proper sex education local young people receive and their poor awareness on disease prevention during sex," said Shi Rong from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, the leading expert in the research.

"Many students said their major channel of learning sex is the Internet, not education from schools or their parents.

Shi said a number of schools had refused to cooperate with researchers, fearing "negative effects on students."

The survey found the average age for first having sex was around 15 years and 9 months among high and vocational school students.

Shi said this was younger than in previous national studies and suggested that this was due to more open attitudes.

The study, which was begun in March, 2013, featured 600 middle school students aged between 14 and 16; 1,600 high school students and 1,600 vocational school students; 800 university students; and 1,400 young workers.

They came from two middle schools, two high schools and two vocational schools, two universities and five workplaces in Hongkou, Putuo, Xuhui and Jinshan districts.

The young people were questioned on their understanding of reproductive health, attitudes to sex and their own sexual behavior.

According to the survey, less than 5 percent of students have had sex — though almost half used condoms — while almost 29 percent of young workers questioned have had sex.