Many teenagers are not using condoms correctly, some are putting them on too late while others are taking them off too early, say researchers from Southampton University, UK. Incorrect use of condoms reduces protection from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

The researchers studied 1,400 teens from various parts of England. They found that 6% of those that used a condom had not put it on early enough, while another 6% had taken it off too early.

You can read about this study in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.

100 teenagers had kept a diary of their sexual activity for half a year, as requested by the researchers. 31% of those who used a condom put it on after penetration and 10% had taken it off too early at least once during those six months. The diary entries also showed that of the 714 occasions when sex took place a condom was not used in 322 of them.

The main reasons given by the teenagers for not using a condom were:

— It enhances intimacy
— Sex feels better without one
— Some other type of contraception was being used
— They got carried away

The researchers were surprised that most teenagers did mention protection from sexually transmitted infections as one of the benefits of using a condom. The main benefits quoted by the teens were: to prevent the girl from getting pregnant, sex is less messy, and the sexual act lasts longer.

The boys who were most likely to use a condom consistently and correctly were those we had spoken with their mothers about sex earlier on in life, said the researchers.

It is important that young people know the correct way to use a condom if we are to see a reduction in sexually transmitted infection prevalence, said the researchers. They also need to understand the importance of condoms.

How, not just if, condoms are used: the timing of condom application and removal during vaginal sex among young people in England
Bethan Hatherall , Roger Ingham , Nicole Stone and Juliet McEachran
Sex Transm Infect. Published Online First: 10 August 2006.
doi:10.1136/sti.2006.021410
Click Here To See Abstract Online

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today