National youth program
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Croatia 2009 National Youth Program
4.3. Sexual life of youth
One of the most sensitive areas of adolescent development is the adoption of gender identity and responsible sexual behaviour. Risky sexual behaviour in adolescence may have direct and long-term consequences – from direct ones such as unwanted (juvenile) pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, to long-term impact on reproductive health and even the longevity that include chronic inflammatory diseases, fertility problems and malignant and life threatening diseases. Risk factors that may contribute to the development of consequences and complications are the early start of sexual life, larger number of partners and incomplete knowledge of the facts related to ways of protection from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The average age of starting sexual activity in Croatia, according to a range of surveys, is around the age of 17 for girls and around 16 for boys. Early sexual relations (aged 15 or less) in Croatia, according to the HBSC survey, in 2006 had 28.6% of boys and 16.5% of girls. During the last sexual intercourse, condoms were used by 76% of boys and 77% of girls. Risky methods such as the Ogino-Knauss method or coitus interruptus are used by 8% of girls and 6% of boys, i.e. 8% of girls and 12% of boys, 181 respectively. Oral contraceptives are used by 8% of girls, and 7% of boys report that their partners take oral contraceptives. As 15% of boys and 11% of girls report that during their last intercourse they did not use any kind of protection, this fact, and the usage of insecure contraceptive methods may have far-reaching consequences on the sexual health of youth. According to the check-up findings of the first-year university students, 64% male and 53% of female students had sexual intercourses. Of the girls that became sexually active, 49% have never visited a gynaecologist. The average age of becoming sexually active is 16.2 for male and 17.2 for female students. Condoms were regularly or occasionally used by 73% of male and 63% of female students, and they are never used by 21% of male and 29% of female students. The trend of a decrease in childbirths in younger age groups (under 20 years of age) and an increase in childbirths above the age of 35, characteristic of developed countries, can also be found in Croatia. The number of childbirths per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19 is gradually decreasing (in 2001, 14.7/1000; in 2006, 13.8/1000). In 2006, in Croatia there were 414 legally induced abortions registered under the age of 20 (8.8% of the total number). Although the number of abortions cannot be reliably stated as precise, the number of legally induced abortions per 1,000 adolescent girls, aged 15 to 19, during the last five years is relatively stable (2.9 in 2001; 3.3 in 2002; 3.4 in 2003; 2.7 in 2004 and 2.4 in 2005). Due to medical and legal fragility of adolescent pregnancies, the registration is probably more precise than for abortions in general. From this short overview, it is completely clear that, given the expectations, requirements and needs of various youth age groups, a specific approach by the healthcare and health protection for this population is expected. In the Republic of Croatia, as in some other countries, healthcare is separate and connected with school and education, as a service for school medicine with school teams responsible for schools and universities. 4.4. Goals • to implement preventive and health-educative programs and upbringing programs that will stimulate young people to be responsible for their own health • to organize healthcare in places where young people live, go to school or work, and thereby make the service accessible, and at the same time to use all advantages and opportunities of working with young people and for young people related to the relevant environment • to involve youth in implementation of healthcare programs • to improve the development of the specific healthcare and specific education of doctors • to stimulate the foundation and work of multipurpose healthcare centers with multidisciplinary teams • to recognize frequent and recognisable disorders, diseases and problems of youth on time • to monitor health indicators and evaluate what has been done |
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