WHILE PERSONS in the 40-49 age group are increasingly practising unprotected sex, young people in the 15-19 age group seem to be using some form of contraception, according to the 2008 Reproductive Health Survey done by the National Family Planning Board (NFPB).

Dr Olivia McDonald, executive director of NFPB, said the action of persons in the 40-49 age group could give rise to an increase in the number of sexually transmitted diseases.

Findings from the survey suggest that the action of persons in the 15-19 age group has resulted in a 10 per cent decline in the number of females who have become pregnant. The survey also indicated that the number of births in this age group moved from 79 per 1, 000 women in 2002 to 71 per 1,000 in 2008.

Reversal of decline

However, there is a three per cent increase in the number of women in the 20-24 age group who are likely to become pregnant, a reversal of the decline recorded in 2003.

The survey indicates that Jamaica's total fertility rate is 2.4 per cent, which suggests that four children are born to every couple.

Abstention number increase

The NFPB is also reporting a 7.2 percentage increase in 2008 in the number of persons between the ages of 15 and 24 who are abstaining from sex. In 2002, data showed 17.9 per cent of persons in that age group abstained from sex.

Rudyard Spencer, minister of health, speaking at the NFPB National Dissemination Seminar at the Knutsford Court Hotel on Wednesday, said, "The abolition of user fees has been a major policy development that could reverse the decline in family planning visits to health centres for the period 2005-2007."

He stated visits by females declined from 242,458 to 205,286 during the two year period.

In the 20-29 age group, he said visits declined from 110,036 in 2005 to 86, 073 in 2007.

Minister Spencer added, "We need to have a better understanding of what is influencing the decline as these women are at the peak of their reproductive capacity."

shernette.gillispie@gleanerjm.com