Use of condoms rise among Brazilian youth

Keite Camacho and Priscilla Mazenotti

Reporters - Agencia Brasil

Brasília - The use of condoms during the first intercourse has increased among Brazilians, from 1998 to 2005. In this period, its use by people 16-19 years old went up from 47.8% to 65.8%, according to the Survey on Sexual Behavior and Perceptions of the Brazilian Population about HIV and AIDS, performed by the Brazilian Analysis and Planning Center a non-governmental research institute. The study shows that 37.7% of people age 20-24 used condoms in 1998; in 2005, this number rose to 55.2%.

According to the Ministry of Health, 5,040 people from all regions of Brazil were interviewed, between June and August 2005.

Translation: Andréa Alves