Canada: Sex Begins at Younger Age and Spreads More Disease

The Women's Health Surveillance Report, a new study described as the most comprehensive report on women's health in Canada, says the average age of first intercourse for Canadian girls is 16.8 years. The average age for boys is 16.7 years. Girls used to wait considerably longer than boys to become sexually active, but the gap has virtually disappeared, said co-author Donna Stewart of the University of Toronto, chair of women's health at the University Health Network.

Thirty years ago, the average age of first intercourse was 20 for girls and 18 for boys. Stewart noted that girls are reaching puberty earlier, possibly because of improved nutrition, although some attribute the change to chemicals such as estrogen in the food supply and environment.

Social climate is also a factor. "One could speculate that it's [due to] the normalizing of early sexual behavior in the media, the glamorization of sexual behavior on television, women's magazines, what have you," Stewart said.

Sex at a younger age does not imply improved knowledge about risks. "Few adolescents recognize the behaviors and infections that pose the greatest threats to their sexual health," said the report. Only half of the girls interviewed said their partner used a condom. Only 60 percent of unmarried teens reported having used contraception over the past six months.

The study reported soaring rates of syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. Between 1991 and 2000, syphilis incidence increased 62 percent among males and 22 percent among females. In 2001, women accounted for 25 percent of HIV-positive people in Canada, up from 10.7 percent in 1985-1995. Most of the cases were traced to heterosexual exposure.

Relatively potent new AIDS therapies have led to a certain complacency about the disease, Stewart said. She said women's vulnerability to domestic violence makes them reluctant to insist on precautions such as condoms.

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