Media Centre

Media Advisories

Worrisome Sexual Health Trends Underscore Need for Comprehensive Sexual Health Education in Canada

Rising Sexually Transmitted Infection Rates, Declining Condom Use Among Concerns

February 12, 2008 - Ottawa – Canadians, and particularly young Canadians, need greater access to quality comprehensive sexual health education if Canada is to address some concerning new health trends, including a rising rate of sexually transmitted infections and a declining rate of overall condom use. These new trends have been highlighted in several recent reports from Canadian Health authorities, as well as a new editorial in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada.

February 12th is Sexual and Reproductive Health Day, and, in light of these trends, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada is calling for a greater focus to ensure all Canadians have access to quality comprehensive sexual health education throughout their lives. The society represents Canada’s obstetricians and gynaecologists as well as other allied health care professionals.

“It is absolutely critical that Canadian youth have access to accurate, honest and comprehensive sexual health education,” says Dr. Guylaine Lefebvre, President of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. “Sexual Health education provides young people with a true picture of the risks and benefits of sexual activity, and helps support them to make decisions that are right for them.”

According to new projections released last month by the Public Health Agency of Canada, the rate of Chlamydia infection rose by over eight percent from 2006 to 2007, from approximately 202 cases to 219 cases for every 100,000 Canadians. For the first nine months of 2007, this represents an increase of over 1700 cases when compared to the same period in 2006. The agency also reports an increase in the number of reported cases of Gonorrhea, which rose from approximately 33 cases to 35 per 100,000.

The agency also found huge discrepancies in where these new infections were being reported – the Northwest Territories, for example, had a rate of Chlamydia infection 15 times higher than the national average.

Disturbingly, many cases of these infections do not produce symptoms, indicating that the number of reported cases likely also represents a significant rise in the number of unreported cases. Youth are disproportionately affected by these infections, and these untreated cases can lead to serious health problems - particularly for women, who face infertility and chronic illnesses such as pelvic inflammatory disease.

“From a public health perspective, these numbers are very disturbing, since they represent just a fraction of the men and women who are carrying these infections and don’t know it,” says Dr. Lefebvre. “Not only are these individuals at risk of serious health problems such as infertility, but they are also unknowingly fueling the spread of these infections.”

The rising rate of sexually transmitted infections represents just one of a number of disturbing sexual health trends in Canada. In its recent “Sexual Health in Canada” report, the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health reports that fewer Canadians are using condoms to protect themselves from these infections. The report found that the overall rate of condom use fell from 21 percent to 18 percent over the past decade.

In an editorial examining the influence of the media on sexual health behaviour, sexual health expert Dr. Victor Strasburger points to evidence that sexual health education is lacking in Canada. In particular, Dr. Strasburger notes recent Canadian surveys which found that, while parents overwhelmingly support sex education in schools, a majority of teenagers in grades 10 and 12 felt they could not talk to their parents about sex. The editorial also highlights the need for provinces to do more to offer quality comprehensive sexual health education in Canadian schools.

“The media has an enormous power to influence, both positively and negatively, the way we understand sex and sexual health issues,” says Dr. Strasburger, a professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico. “That’s why it is very important that people are also exposed to accurate information about sexual health.”

To help improve access to sexual health education in Canada, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada has produced the popular sexual health websites www.sexualityandu.ca and www.hpvinfo.ca. Through these sites, the SOGC aims to provide accurate and comprehensive information to help Canadians make informed decisions.

Dr. Strasburger’s editorial “Anything Goes! Teenage Sex and Media” appears in the February issue of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada.

Contact:

Mike Haymes, SOGC Communications
Tel: (800) 561-2416 or (613) 730-4192 extension: 325
Fax: (613) 730-4314
E-mail address: mhaymes@sogc.com Website: www.sogc.org

About the SOGC

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) is one of Canada’s oldest national specialty organizations. Established in 1944, the Society’s mission is to promote excellence in the practice of obstetrics and gynaecology and to advance the health of women through leadership, advocacy, collaboration, outreach and education. The SOGC represents obstetricians/gynaecologists, family physicians, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals working in the field of sexual reproductive health. For more information, visit www.sogc.org.