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Party hard but safe this long weekend
As music lovers gear up to attend the many music festivals being held over the long weekend, Australia’s leading sexual and reproductive healthcare organisation today issued a reminder to practice safer sex at all times.
“Everybody loves unwinding and letting their hair down at a music festival, especially when they have the Monday to recover!” Jill Michelson, Operations Manager of Marie Stopes International said.
“Yet such a feeling of euphoria and possible substance use over the course of the long weekend often leads to unprotected sexual activity.
“Even just one act of unprotected sex can result in STIs and unplanned pregnancy – both of which can be avoided by using a condom.”
Marie Stopes International’s calls came as research shows that young men and women who attend music festivals have limited knowledge of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and regularly engage in unsafe sex.
A recent study by the Burnet Institute analysed sexual-risk behaviour, self-perceived risk and knowledge of STIs among young Australians attending music festivals.[1] The research was conducted on a cross-sectional sample of people aged 16 to 29 years attending the Big Day Out.
Findings indicated that 80% of attendees had experienced vaginal or anal sex. 48% had multiple partners in the previous year and 66% had a new partner in the past 3 months. 39% did not use condoms all or most of the time and only 24% of those classified as being at risk of an STI actually perceived their health as being at risk.
“These statistics are frightening, especially with STI notifications at their highest and continually on the rise in Australia,” Ms Michelson said.
In 2007 there were over 50,000 notifications of Chlamydia nationwide. In comparison, there were only 16,962 notifications of Chlamydia in 2000 – indicating that the rate of diagnosis has nearly tripled over the past seven years.
“Often STIs such as Chlamydia don’t have any symptoms, so can be contracted and passed on unknowingly,” Ms Michelson said.
“The only way to make sure you don’t have Chlamydia is to have an STI checkup, and the only way to avoid it is to use a condom.
“Musical festivals are definitely weekends to remember - but make sure they are remembered for the right reasons.”
For 24 hour sexual health help and advice, call Marie Stopes International on 1800 003 707. Calls to the service are free of charge from fixed line phones.
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About Marie Stopes International: Marie Stopes International is a not-for-profit sexual and reproductive healthcare provider, with centres in the ACT, Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia. The organisation offers a range of services, including abortion, vasectomy, sexually transmitted infection check-ups and contraception. Surplus proceeds from Australian activities support the work of the Marie Stopes International Partnership, which delivers sexual and reproductive health services to over four million people in 38 countries worldwide.
For media enquiries contact: Samantha Smith, Public Relations - 0421 097 150
[1]Sexual-risk behaviour, self-perceived risk and knowledge of sexually transmissible infections among young Australians attending a music festival, Megan S. C. Lim, Margaret E. Hellard, Campbell K. Aitken and Jane S. Hocking, Published 26 February 2007
