Health experts and family planning workers are calling on Chinese men to take more responsibility for family planning and prevention of STDs. Women now assume most responsibilities for family planning, but female contraceptives such as the birth control pill do not prevent STDs, Monday's China Daily quotes Liu Xiaozhang, a researcher with the Sichuan Reproductive Health Institute, as saying. State Family Planning Commission data show that among couples using family planning measures, 46.3 percent use intra-uterine devices and 37.6 percent have chosen female sterilization. Only 2.1 percent use condoms, the paper says.

A survey among 5,000 people in northeast China's Jilin province showed that 21.2 percent of those surveyed use condoms to prevent unwanted pregnancy while 77.8 percent refused to use condoms, saying they were inconvenient or made sex less enjoyable. The majority of both men and women surveyed said it was better to use female contraceptives.

The promotion of condom use and the dissemination of male sexual health knowledge are two of the major components of the "men involvement" programs. Condoms are distributed for free or sold in vending machines and at special consulting centers. Hotlines also have been established for people to discuss any problems.

The intervention has yielded positive results. In Jilin province, for example, condom use among the target population increased by 45.8 percent. The number of female reproductive tract infections decreased by 26.3 percent. The State Family Planning Commission said it is encouraged by the results from the pilot work and will expand to more areas.

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