Study shows many single Canadians at “elevated risk” for STIs, including HIV/AIDS
The first big study to examine condom use among sexually active Canadians who are not married or living common law reveals that 60 per cent of men ages 20 to 34 reported using a condom the last time they had sex. That compared to half of sexually active Canadian women of the same age. This study, published in today’s issue of The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, also reveals that younger sexually active adults were more likely to use condoms than older adults. Men in Quebec and women in New Brunswick and Quebec were less likely to use condoms compared to the national average. Canadians who had sex for the first time at age 13 or younger were less likely to use condoms than people who lost their virginity when they were older. The study, conducted by Statistics Canada and The Sex Information and Education Council of Canada (SIECCAN), concludes that “large numbers of single adult Canadians are at elevated risk for sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS.”