There is an association between sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and age of first intercourse among South Korean adolescents, researchers report.
Their study showed that the earlier teens have intercourse, the more likely they are to have experienced STIs. In addition, the odds of having an STI tend to increase when there is a shorter gap between sexual maturation and first intercourse.
The scientists analyzed data from the 2007-2013 Korean Youth Risk Behavior web-based survey. Their results are based on responses from 22,381 young people who had had sexual intercourse. The participants were students in the seventh through twelfth grades.
Overall, 7.3% of the adolescents said they had experience with an STI. This broke down to 7.4% of the boys and 7.5% of the girls. STI rates tended to be higher when the age of first intercourse was lower. The highest STI rate was among boys who had had their first intercourse in fourth grade.
For both boys and girls, the longer time span between puberty (typically between ages 12 and 13 for boys and 10 and 11 for girls) and first intercourse corresponded to a lower likelihood of STIs. The researchers suggested that hormonal changes at puberty might be linked to immune system maturity, making adolescents more susceptible to infections at this time.
Participants who used condoms also had lower rates of STIs.
The study authors pointed out three areas of concern related to the study.
First, they called for more practical sex education in Korean schools, beginning at a younger age. In a past study of Korean teenagers, most participants were not aware of STIs and their symptoms. Mandatory sex education in Korea was increased from ten to fifteen hours in 2013, but is not taken seriously, the authors explained.
“It is important for those individuals to know the seriousness of STIs and what factors cause STIs, in addition to the consequences of STIs and how to prevent them,” they wrote.
Second, the authors emphasized the importance of STI care targeted specifically to adolescents. Currently, no service centers provide such care exclusively and treatment depends on parental consent. Many teens will not see a doctor if they need their parents’ permission, so STI cases may be left untreated. Providing care to adolescents more freely and offering STI tests at school health centers could be one way to approach the problem.
Finally, the authors discussed low rates of HPV vaccination in Korea. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a major cause of genital warts (and certain forms of cancer, such as cervical and penile cancer). However, some populations are not familiar with the HPV vaccine. Cost is another concern.
“It is a critical issue to find ways to lower the cost of the HPV vaccine and familiarize adolescents with the benefits of the vaccine,” the scientists said.
The study was first published online in December in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Resources
The Journal of Sexual Medicine
Lee, Seo Yoon RN, et al.
“Sexually Transmitted Infections and First Sexual Intercourse Age in Adolescents: The Nationwide Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study”
(Full-text. First published online: December 21, 2015)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsm.13071/full