Gap in health education

THERE is a gap in health education, and this is reflected in the response that young people have towards condomising and the effects that further transmute into other social elements. This is a call for the organisations that focus on societal growth and the healthcare sector to get up and evaluate the strategies utilised for health education and the possible causes for the reluctance and failure of full positive effect.

The gap is that, while condoms seem to be something every other young person know about in general, and while they are available at the disposal of men and women in many places, there is still a small percentage of people who understand the concept of condomising and why it is necessary. The issue is that nine in 10 young women or young men are scared of pregnancy more than they are of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), which is alarming.

The availability of resources has made pregnancy a bit more manageable for the average person who does not want to be a parent, yet these options are made available outside of condomising, including means for family planning and plan B. The use of plan B has made it easy for people to avoid using condoms, however, condomising is not just about pregnancy. The inability of people to condomise has in turn only made the spread of STIs prevalent and created many health issues in other areas. Strategies should be such that while solving one health issue, room for another should not be open.

These available means have made it easy for women to action and implement means to avoid pregnancy, however, these means do not prevent (STIs and, therefore, the use of such is only limited.

This article is meant to drive the point that education on condomising has been ineffective because it has failed to change the perspective of people on the importance of using condoms to prevent STIs and even HIV/AIDS.

Pregnancy

This shows that the central focus of condoms has largely been towards avoiding pregnancy and this can be critically judged on the basis that the levels of teenage pregnancy in the past few years have been climbing, and so has the stigma towards young women, and especially teenage pregnancy has been aiding this campaign.

There are many variables that, upon introspection, I believe have played a huge role in the response of people towards condomising; the biggest one being the stigma on teenage pregnancy as the sole responsibility of girls, and the shame of teenage pregnancy being maintained only for young women and men being absolved from the same responsibility. This stigma has shifted the urgency for condomising towards the need for a quick fix for every young woman who is afraid of having to face society for being pregnant.

By building teenage pregnancy, and not only prioritising but subjecting it as an abomination committed only by women, then we inactively suggest that condomising is not necessary, and put in first place the use of contraceptives while neglecting the reality that condomising does more than just prevent pregnancies. Condomising prevents the transmission of STIs and STDs.

Moreover, once the results of the stigma exist, it is imperative to understand that the man becomes relieved from the responsibility of condomising in the illusion that as long as the girl is using contraceptives there is nothing to worry about.

Strategies

Which is wrong and this shows the flaw in health education, and how the strategies used for it have actively prioritised condoms as only a tool to avoid pregnancy; and as soon as contraceptives came into the picture, then the motivation for condomising declined – ignoring the role that condoms play beyond just pregnancy.

The use of condoms should be rebranded in terms of education by placing utmost importance on educating people on the possible diseases they can get through sexual encounters.

This should be with the focus of educating young people, including and especially men, on the risks of not condomising and how this can be detrimental to their health, and how they may be carriers of illnesses in their inability to condomise.

This means revolving health education around both men and women, and without placing the respect of use towards women more than men. In order to fight the problem of STIs and STDs, and the misinformation on condomisation, we must pay attention to rectifying the problems that have made it hard for young people to condomise and focus on the ideas that young people have as a measure against condomising.