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Norway tops list for unsafe sex

A study of contraception use has revealed young Norwegian men in their late teens have the least safe sex in Europe.

Published: 30 September 2011 10:44 CEST
Updated: 30 September 2011 15:36 CEST

Norway tops list for unsafe sex

Photo: Denis Raev

While 24 percent of Italian 18-year-olds say they have had unprotected sex with a new partner, 52 percent of Norwegian boys and 49 percent of Norwegian girls admit the risky practice. The World Contraception Day study cites the boys saying it's “too embarrassing” to buy condoms.

Only boys in China, Estonia, Kenya and Korea were having as much unprotected sex as the Norwegians despite the widespread sex-ed programmes instituted by Oslo.

“This is worrying,” Norwegian sexologist Kjell Olav Svendsen told newspaper Dagbladet. Svendsen is a popular advice-giver and commentator on sex issues in Norwegian media.

The study of protective habits in 26 countries was carried out to observe the unchecked behaviour of young people about to be classed as adults. Survey and analysis outfit GfK carried out the survey for a host of national health groups.

Worrying those commissioning the survey, 44 percent of the 5,500 surveyed did not associate contraception with hygiene but thought waxing away hair, using perfume and showering daily made for a hygienic lifestyle.

According to US interest group Child Trends, unsafe sex is still proliferating after initial successes getting kids to use condoms in the late 1980s with the dawn of the AIDS era.

Norwegian kids were not alone in revealing high levels of reckless behaviour. The number of people in France saying they “forgot” all manner of protection has risen 111 percent since 2009 to 40 percent. In the US and United Kingdom, the number of new encounters without protection rose by 39 percent and 19 percent in the same period.

On the quirky side, 36 percent of men and women in Egypt believed showering after sex was an effective means of birth control.

It was the third annual international survey of this type, and its sponsors were as diverse as US Aid, Bayer HealthCare, The European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health, and the UN Population Council.

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What reopens in Switzerland on Monday and under what conditions?

Dental offices are now open. Photo by AFP

Medical services

Dentists are starting to practice again. The Swiss Dental Association (SSO) has developed, in collaboration with cantonal doctors, reinforced hygiene measures, in addition to those already commonly practiced, such wearing of face shields and disinfection of all instruments and equipment.

“Hygiene standards that were already very strict in normal times have been reinforced and supplemented by additional measures such as the triage of patients at risk and social distancing in the waiting room”, the SSO said.

Hygiene and distance rules will also be in effect at veterinarian clinics, which are re-opening as well. According to the Society of Swiss Veterinarians (SVS), pet owners will have to hand their animal over to the staff outside the office and collect it at the exit.

READ MORE: What protective measures will Switzerland implement after lockdown ?

Osteopaths, physiotherapists, and massage therapists

These professionals are also resuming their practice. Physioswiss, the Swiss Physiotherapy Association, advises its members to wear a mask, while the Swiss Federation of Osteopaths makes it compulsory.

Massage therapist are required to wear masks as well.

As for clients, they are mandated to wear them if each individual business requires it.

Hairdressers, beauticians/nail salons, tattoo parlours

The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) have created a set of guidelines for these sectors. Each branch may have its own additional protections in place as well.

All of these businesses also have strict conditions regarding the number of people accommodated simultaneously in the office and in the waiting room.

The appointments must be staggered, with a sufficient time interval between them. No more than one person should be in the waiting room at any time; the distance of at least two metres must be maintained between clients and between employees.

Both the worker and the customer must wear a protective mask. For services that require proximity to the clients, such as facial treatments or beard trimming, the employee must also wear a plexiglass visor.

The Swiss Association of Professional Tattoo Artists (ASTP) is asking its members to wear a mask type FFP2, which protects both the wearer and the person in front. For the client, a surgical mask is sufficient. The organisation also describes a series of disinfection measures and requests that the workplaces be well separated, for example with a curtain.

Florists, garden centres, hardware stores

All these stores will allow only a limited number of customers to enter the premises — one person per 10 square-metres of sales area. Special waiting areas will be provided outside, where distance can be respected.

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In addition, cash registers will be fitted with plexiglass protections.

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READ MORE: Switzerland opens spas, saunas and bars in hotels despite coronavirus lockdown

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