Canadian teens need more information about sexually transmitted infections and too many teens practice unsafe sex, a new survey has revealed.

According to a national survey by the Canadian Association for Adolescent Health (CAAH),  a quarter of sexually active Canadian teens between the ages of 14 and 17 did not use any protection against sexually transmitted infections (STI's) the last time they had sex.

Those same teens claim to have had three sexual partners on average and 38 per cent of them admit to engaging in casual sex.

The study, which aimed to determine if teenagers needed more information on sex and how best to get it to them, found that more than two thirds have engaged in oral sex, although many were unaware that STIs can be transmitted through this particular sexual activity.

Another 16 per cent admit their partner had other sexual partners while dating them, while half of condom users never check to see if their condoms remain intact after sex.

Sexual health

Yet according to the survey, 90 per cent of Canadian teens claim to be very knowledgeable about sex and sexual health.

Not only does this claim run counter to their actual behaviour, it is also undermined by their apparent widespread lack of knowledge about common sexually transmitted infections.

Only a fifth of teens have ever heard of HPV, the cause of genital warts and cervical cancer. On the other hand, HIV was reported most often as a common STI, despite its very low prevalence compared to all the others.

Canadian teens also appear to be unaware of the consequences of STIs. For example, only 20 per cent mentionned cancer as a possible consequence of HPV, while just 37 per cent mentionned infertility as a possible consequence of chlamydia.

"It appears that more information needs to be produced and effectively communicated to Canadian teens and their parents," said Dr. Jean-Yves Frappier, President of the CAAH and head of the adolescent division at Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal.

Parents

In what may come as a surprise to some parents, the survey says many teenagers consider their parents a valuable source of accurate information about sex, although 38 per cent of teens have never discussed sex and sexuality with their mothers.

The importance of parental guidance was cited by 63 per cent of the 1,171 teens surveyed. Teenagers in the study also considered their friends and school as key sources of information.

"Canadian teens look up to their parents and consider them a valuable source of information," said CAAH spokesperson Dr. April Elliott.

"We are hoping that this survey will encourage parents to break the wall of silence that too often exists when it comes to discussing sexuality with their children."

Lack of information

The teens' reported lack of knowledge about STIs appears to be exacerbated by what they say are difficulties in obtaining information about sexual health.

Some 62 per cent said they faced obstacles to getting answers on sexual health, such as their own discomfort in talking about sex. And just 23 per cent of teens said they felt sex education in schools was useful.

The results of the survey, completed in October 2005, are based on 1,171 online interviews conducted nationally with teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17, and 1,139 online interviews with mothers of teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17.

The survey was conducted on behalf of the CAAH by Ipsos-Reid. The CAAH is a national non-profit organization created in 1993.