Sexual Health and Coventry

A third of university students, surveyed by Terrence Higgins Trust and the NUS, thought latex condoms had holes in them large enough to allow HIV to pass through. They don't.

More than one in 10 of the 2,200 who took part in the survey didn't know how to put a condom on correctly. One in 10 also believed condoms should be stored in a warm place -- this may lead them to deteriorate.

With two universities in our city, this is as much of a Coventry issue as any.

Lisa Power, head of policy at Terrence Higgins Trust said:

"University students are no smarter than many other young people when it comes to sexual health. They are just as likely to believe myths about condoms and to have got more of their sex education in the playground than the classroom. We spend a fortune educating students, but leave them ignorant about key issues in their adult lives. It's hardly surprising that rates of sexually transmitted infections are soaring."

I agree with the THT's call for sex and relationships education to be compulsory in schools.

Young people need information around negotiating safer sex, how to use condoms and how to deal with relationships.

See also: HIV testing in Coventry (THT)