Condom Usage Amongst the Spanish Youth

A recent study out of the University of Vigo has shown that Spanish females between the ages of 14 and 24 tend to utilize condoms more than boys of the same age when engaging in vaginal sex, but less when engaging in oral and anal sexual behavior. University of Vigo researchers often perform these studies on the sexual behavior of Spanish teenagers and young adults in order to see how sexual behaviors change over the years. These researchers study the use of condoms and their relation to sexually transmitted diseases and risky sexual activities.

This study was published in the journal Gaceta Sanitaria and had over 2,100 male and female participants between the ages of 14 and 24. The particpants came from the regions of Madrid, Andalusia and Galicia. The participants were placed into two separate groups based on ages. One group was comprised of adolescnents between the ages of 14 and 18 and the second group was comprised of young adults between the ages of 19 and 24.

Jose Maria Falide, a researcher from the Galician university and the lead author of the research states, “The results show that condom use among young Spanish males and females has more to do with preventing unwanted pregnancies than with preventing infection with sexually-transmitted diseases, because they are used more during vaginal sex than oral or anal sex.”

One notable difference when it came to the usage of condoms was based on gender and various sexual activities. For example, females were more prone to use condoms when engaging in vaginal sex, while males were prone to use them when engaging in oral or anal sex. Falide adds that “although girls are very concerned about the risk of unwanted pregnancies, they don’t have the same perception of risk in relation to sexually-transmitted diseases, and this gives them a false sense of security when they become involved in a monogamous relationship.”

Another difference in condom use was associated with the age of the particpant. A surprising finding of the research showed that those in the adolescent group tended to use condoms more than those in the young adult group. The researchers speculate that as the youngsters grow older, they tend to become involved in longer-lasting relationships which causes them to change their use of contraceptives. For example, a young adult female in a monogamous long-lasting relationship may choose to use hormonal methods of birth control, as opposed to condoms, to prevent pregnancies. Falide states, “Among young people, the fear of an unwanted pregnancy makes them take greater protective measures. However, as people get older, they become more relaxed in the use of prophylactic methods, and use other methods more, such as the Pill.”

This was not entirely surprisng to the researchers of the study. It is very common for those who have fewer sexual partners to believe they have a lower sexual risk. Falide states, “It must be made clear that, in today’s society, a monogamous relationship is not a sufficient guarantee of safety. We must raise the perception of vulnerability among stable couples. Preventive health strategies must focus on the use of condoms, not only to prevent pregnancy, but also as a means of preventing sexually-transmitted diseases.”