Interior Health and school officials are making it easier for students to access condoms.
A pilot project providing access is being implemented this month at nine secondary schools, including two in Vernon.
“This project is really important because we want to hear from youth about what they consider are barriers to getting condoms,” said Pamela DeBruin, Interior Health’s practice lead. “So things like physical location and how discreet condoms are to access are really important to us to hear from youth.”
The project will involve giving students access to free condoms out and students will be able to take them, no questions asked. About 14 schools in the Interior currently have condoms available to students, but they are required to ask for them.
DeBruin said Interior Health has not received any negative feedback from parents in the community.
“Not every youth is engaged in sexual activity,” she said. “But we know that some are. So it’s important for Interior Health to consider strategies that provide supportive environments and tools to those youths who do choose to be sexually active. One of those tools is condoms.”
DeBruin said the condoms will be packaged in an envelope with a card that has links to healthy sexuality websites, including a link to a survey so the students can provide feedback.
“I believe barriers are two-fold. So access can actually be a physical location, and it’s also about access that decreases, or increases rather, discretion and privacy. So an example is, you can make condoms very accessible by placing a fish bowl of condoms in a hallway, but it’s certainly not very discreet or private. So we want to choose locations that we feel are both accessible and discreet.”
Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection in 15 to 19 year olds across Canada. “By reducing STIs and reducing teen pregnancies, those are overall goals, but in the short-term we want to measure all of those factors around what actually takes down the barriers for youth to actually pick up the condoms,” said DeBruin.
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