Over the past 20 years, heterosexual practices have greatly diversified among young people. A diversification of practices which calls on governments to adopt educational policy, as well as to protect the health of young people.
Traditions are lost, even in sex. A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health describes changes in the sexual practices of young people in Britain. This type of survey has been carried out every 10 years since 1990 and involved interviews with over 45,000 people.
In the results, only one thing did not vary: Vaginal intercourse and oral sex remained the most common form of intercourse among heterosexuals. But the practice of anal sex is winning over the youth. Today among 16-24 year olds, one in four men and one in five women have had this type of relationship in the past year, compared to one in ten women and men in 1990.
Understand in order to act
New trends appear among the youngest. The greatest increases in the frequency of oral and anal sex are among 16-18 year olds. A reality to be grasped as quickly as possible: “Relational education is being updated,” explains Ruth Lewis, the lead author of the study. “It is crucial to monitor current trends in adolescent sexual practices so that prevention programs are adapted to the realities of young people’s experiences.”
Moreover, the age of the first sexual experience, including the kiss, has not changed much: the age of the first kiss remains at 14 years and the first sexual intercourse at 16 years.
Sex education to review
Beyond accounting analysis, the study emphasizes the need for effective sex and relationship education to discuss consent and security based on sexual practices.
“We want to inform young people as much as possible so that they can maximize their well-being from the start of their sexual life”, assures Ruth Lewis.
Only downside, the researchers recognize that their survey is limited by the fact that it is a declarative survey and that it can be influenced by the social norms in force, which can distort the answers.
They also explain that the number of people who declared a homosexual experience was not sufficient to guarantee the validity of their analysis in the latter area.
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