Far more Jamaican men than women practice safe sex - Report - Jamaica Observer

Source: Jamaica Observer

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Significantly more Jamaican males than females use a condom as a means of practicing safe sex, with the trend remaining the same over the past 20 years.

According to information in the Jamaica Population Health Status Report 2000-2022, which was tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, in 2004, 66.9 per cent of males 15-49 years old with multiple partners in the previous 12 months, reported using a condom at last sex.

By comparison, only 53.8 per cent of females in the same age group did.

The information, which is compiled by the National Epidemiology Branch of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, highlights that in 2008, 66.4 per cent of males 15-49 years old used a condom with multiple partners in the last 12 months. This compared to 52.1 per cent for females.

By 2021, the percentage of males 15-49 years old who used a condom with multiple partners at last sex had jumped to 77.6 per cent. However, the percentage for females in the same age group shrank to just 50.8 per cent.

Among sex workers and men who have sex with men, the situation is different, with the report also highlighting that, in 2017, 76.6 per cent of sex workers reported that they used a condom with their most recent paid client.

Also in 2017, 65.4 per cent of men who have sex with men reported that they used a condom during their last sexual encounter compared to 75.5 per cent in 2011.

More recent data was not included for these two categories.