Valentine poll shows 'worrying' youth sex trends
Amid concerns of parents that the emotional atmosphere of Valentine's Day might persuade teenage sweethearts to have premature sex, a recent survey found that one third of teenage girls are willing to give up their innocence on Valentine's Day - if their boyfriends ask them.
The results of the survey conducted by the Abac Poll, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health was revealed at Bangkok's Yothinburana School yesterday.
Polling 1,578 teenagers between 10 and 24 years old in Bangkok and adjacent areas during February 1-4, the survey studied teenagers' sexual attitudes towards Valentine's Day.
However, about 36 per cent of respondents said they would prefer to break up with their partner rather than be persuaded to have sex just because it was Valentine's night.
Sixteen per cent said they would be willing to have sex if it involved love, emotion, curiosity, pleasure and marriage commitment. The rest were undecided.
Most of the respondents thought that a teenager over 18 is mature enough to have sexual affairs. Only 23 per cent said they didn't know a friend who'd had a sexual experience.
The survey also found that half of the teenagers always consulted friends on sexual issues, followed by their parents.
Thai Health deputy manager Dr Krissada Ruangareerat revealed the "worrying rate" of 15 to 18-year-old girls who had unwanted pregnancies in Thailand, which has increased from 70/1,000 teenagers in 2004 to 90/1,000 last year.
Dr Krissada was deeply concerned because the rate is 20 times more than in Japan where only four in 1,000 girls had an unwanted pregnancy a year.
The rate in the USA had dropped from 120/1,000 to only 49/1,000 in some states thanks to the policy of providing space for healthy activities to teenagers as well as their better knowledge of birth control and the laws on abortion.
"If the problem isn't solved, we predict the number in Thailand will increase to 120/1,000 in the next two years."
The doctor said Thai teenagers only had a few channels to get sexual information.
\Most of them looked for information from the Internet and often found the wrong data - which sometimes created problems.
Chatrarat Kaewmorakot
The Nation
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Top questions on sexual issues that teenagers want answered.
1. Will sex during monthly periods cause pregnancy?
2. Will I become pregnant if I have
sexual intercourse with my partner but he does not ejaculate?
3. Does masturbation restrict me from growing taller?
4. Is it abnormal that my sexual organ has a smell?
5. At what size is the male sexual organ called 'Big'?
6. Should I feel guilty if I masturbate?
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