Around 1 in 10 UK young people report distressing sex problems

Conclusion The survey results show that sexual problems are relatively common among young people. The findings are perhaps not surprising, but suggest an unmet need for advice and support around sexual function and enjoyment, as well as the more traditional concerns of preventing unwanted pregnancy and infections. Sex education is not compulsory for non-maintained schools in the UK, although pressure is mounting to make it so. Much traditional sex education focuses on contraception and safer sex practices. There have long been calls for sex education to also include discussions of sexual pleasure and what makes for a happy sex life. Previous research has found that young people with good sexual function are more likely to protect themselves against sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy. There are some limitations to the research. Although the researchers tried to balance their survey population to be representative of the UK as a whole, only 57.7% of people aged 16 to 74 asked agreed to take part. It's possible that people who didn't take part had sexual experiences that differed in some way from those who did take part. This would make the survey results less applicable to the UK as a whole. However, younger people who were asked to take part were more likely to do so (65.8% of 16 to 44 year olds). The survey also relies on people answering questions truthfully and was carried out in a way that maximised the chances of this happening. But some people may ...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Mental health Source Type: news