OTTAWA – Statistics Canada reports that condom use among sexually active teens and young adults rose to 68 per cent in 2009-2010 from 62 per cent in 2003.
The agency’s Canadian Community Health Survey found that two thirds of people aged 15 to 24 years old reported having had sexual intercourse at least once, which was not significantly different from 2003.
While only 30 per cent of those aged 15 to 17 reported having had sex, the figure rose to 68 per cent of 18 and 19-year-olds and 86 per cent of those 20 to 24.
Condom use, however, fell as ages rose.
While 80 per cent of 15 to 18-year-olds reported using condoms, the figure fell to 63 per cent among those 20 to 24.
The survey suggests that older people may tend to use other methods of birth control, such as the pill and are also more likely to be in longer-term, monogamous relationships in which partners perceive less risk of contracting HIV and the use of condoms to be less important.
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