Where do lovers plan to go on a date tonight? Many couples are planning a romantic date, but the National Health Administration reminds everyone that underage girls who become pregnant have a high risk of premature birth, which may affect their health and future career plans. Young couples should not let love cloud their judgment and should remember the three key steps of dating: ABC and take safe contraceptive measures.
Statistics show that 15% to 35% of teenagers and adolescent girls in China do not take proper contraceptive measures when engaging in sexual activity.
Between 15% and 35% of underage sexual activity does not involve contraception.
According to the 2011 and 2013 health behavior surveys of high school, vocational high school, and five-year junior college students, the percentage of female adolescents aged 15 to 17 who had ever had sexual intercourse decreased from 11% to 10.2%, while the percentage who used contraception during their most recent sexual encounter increased from 75.6% to 85.2%. Furthermore, according to the 2012 and 2014 health behavior surveys of junior high school students, the percentage of female adolescents aged 13 to 15 who had ever had sexual intercourse decreased from 5.6% to 4.9%, while the percentage who used contraception during their most recent sexual encounter decreased from 75.8% to 65.1%.
Chiu Shu-ti, Director-General of the Health Promotion Administration, stated that according to the above data, 15% of girls aged 15 to 17 and 35% of girls aged 13 to 15 did not take contraceptive measures during their most recent sexual intercourse, which easily exposes underage girls to the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
Underage girls getting pregnant! 10% of babies born prematurely.
According to the annual birth report statistics of the Health Promotion Administration, there were 3,109 newborns born to adolescent girls under the age of 20 in 2014. Among them, the rates of premature birth, low birth weight and stillbirth were 10.04%, 11.45% and 2.28% respectively, which were significantly higher than the national average of 8.94%, 8.53% and 1.17%. This shows that adolescent girls under the age of 20 are more likely to have premature births, give birth to low birth weight babies and have a higher stillbirth rate.
Chiu Shu-ti urged young people to remember the three key points (A, B, and C) when dating to avoid contracting sexually transmitted diseases or accidentally getting pregnant.
Healthy Relationships! Don't Forget the ABCs of Dating
Pregnancy among underage girls not only negatively impacts the health of the girl and the newborn, but also disrupts the education of many girls, indirectly affecting their career development and creating inequality in their starting point. In response, Director-General Chiu Shu-ti offered three tips for happy dating, reminding young couples to avoid engaging in sexual activity without contraception or protection.
【The ABCs of Happy Dating】
• Abstain: Be patient and avoid engaging in sexual activity without protection.
• Be responsible: Be responsible for your sexual behavior. Don't take chances or try to run away. Relationships must be built on mutual respect and care.
• Condom: Use condoms or other contraceptive methods to avoid unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
In addition to taking a rational view of sexual behavior, the Health Promotion Administration also reminds teenagers to pay attention to dating safety and stay away from places and situations where dangerous sexual behavior may occur.
