The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study is a large school-based survey carried out every four years in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Europe. HBSC data are used at national/regional and international levels to gain new insights into adolescent health and well-being, understand the social determinants of health and inform policy and practice to improve young people’s lives. The 2021/2022 HBSC survey data are accompanied by a series of volumes that summarize the key findings around specific health topics. This report, Volume 5in the series, focuses on adolescent sexual health, using the unique HBSC evidence on the sexual health of adolescents aged 15 years across 42 countries and regions in Europe, central Asia and Canada (two of the 44 countries and regions in the study could not collect data on sexual behaviours). It describes the current sexual health status of adolescents by analysing their sexual initiation, contraceptive pill and condom use (or non-use) at last sexual intercourse, the role of gender, age and social inequality, and how adolescent sexual behaviour has changed over time. Findings from the 2021/2022 HBSC survey provide an important evidence benchmark for current research, intervention and policy-planning.
Authors
Költő, András, de Looze, Margreet, Jåstad, Atle, Nealon Lennox, Olivia, Currie, Dorothy, Gabhainn, Saoirse Nic
- Citation
- Költő, András , de Looze, Margreet , Jåstad, Atle , Nealon Lennox, Olivia , Currie, Dorothy . et al. (2024). A focus on adolescent sexual health in Europe, central Asia and Canada: Health Behaviour in School-aged Children international report from the 2021/2022 survey. World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/378547 . License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
- ISBN
- 9789289061155 (PDF)
- Pages
- 33
- Published in
- Switzerland
- Rights
- CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
- Rights Holder
- World Health Organization
- Rights URI
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo
Table of Contents
- A focus on adolescent sexual health in Europe central Asia and Canada 1
- A focus on adolescent sexual health in Europe central Asia and Canada 2
- Contents 4
- Acknowledgements 7
- Key findings 8
- Implications 8
- Key findings and implications 8
- Introduction 9
- Sexual intercourse 11
- Insights into adolescent sexual health 11
- Condom use at last sexual intercourse 13
- Contraceptive pill use at last sexual intercourse 14
- Neither condom nor contraceptive pill use at last intercourse 16
- Policy implications 17
- Conclusions 18
- It is seen as shameful for boys not to be sexually active but for the girls it is on the contrary it is shameful to be sexually active and to talk about it. Girl North Macedonia 18
- HBSC study 20
- References 21
- Annex 22
- Key data 23
- Data presented 23
- Data availability 23
- Family affluence 23
- Interpreting differences in prevalence 24
- Understanding the agegender charts 24
- References 26
- Sexual intercourse 27
- Condom use at last sexual intercourse 28
- Contraceptive pill use at last sexual intercourse 29
- Neither condom nor contraceptive pill use at last intercourse 30
