A new survey organized by an NGO specialized in sexual health issues, once again verified the reluctance that those entering their sixth decade of life continue to have in this area: AHF Argentina verified that only 17% of this age group choose to always use it and 38.8 % directly preferred not to answer the questions about their use of condoms. This is seriously worrying because it is estimated that in regions such as Latin America its regular use would help prevent 200,000 infections of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
When opening the numbers, the specialists from the AHF organization determined that of the 61% who did answer this question, only 17% of the total stated that they always use a condom in all their sexual relations. The rest said they did it “sometimes” or “never”. And, from other surveys, it appears that among young people and adolescents the opinions and preferences on this subject are similar. “Thus”, the report suggests, “the non-use of condoms is a general problem of the population”.
For Natalia Haag, Director of HIV Testing and Prevention at the NGO, “these data in older adults may be partly due to the taboo that talking about their sexuality represents among this particular population group.” But the result also implies that “it is not enough for the State to buy condoms and sexual lubricants and distribute them free of charge, but that public policies that bring these inputs closer to the community must be implemented or improved, so that they are truly accessible to all.” the ages”.
6,814 people participated in the research work, of which 1,474 were older than 50 years (51% women, 48% men, 1% transfeminine). And an encouraging piece of information also emerged: among those who stated that they had never used condoms, 19.7% admitted that –if their partner suggested it– would make it easier to use. It also became clear that it is an input that continues to be stigmatized and that incorporating the condom into sexual activity is still not considered as a possibility of protected and pleasurable sexual health.
It is worth remembering the context in which these social trends occur: in recent years, in most of the Latin American countries, there has been a significant increase in the cases of infections of sexually transmitted diseases, with rates that vary between 15% and up to 40% in “old” pathologies such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and HIV, among others. According to calculations by the Pan American Health Organization, every 24 hours there are 200,000 new transmissions of STIs in the American continent, and all of them are preventable through the correct use of condoms.
In this context, the NGO AHF Argentina reported that during this coming year it will redouble its promotional campaign under the slogan “Always in fashion” to encourage people to increase their useas a fun element in sexual relations and as an ally to give peace of mind to those who use it and freedom to enjoy sexual life.
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