Let's talk about sex - not contraception - more teens at risk
Of the teenagers who admitted having had unprotected sex with a new partner, 23 per cent said they had done so because their partner did not like using contraception, with 15 per cent saying they had been drunk and forgotten.
The proportion of girls who said they had a close friend or family member who had an unplanned pregnancy rose from 36 per cent in 2009 to 55 per cent this year.
Only 55 per cent of girls said they considered themselves to be very well-informed about all the contraceptive options available compared to 62 per cent of boys, according to the study.
A total of 16 per cent of boys and girls said they believed the "withdrawal method" was an effective form of contraception.
Nearly one in five girls, 19 per cent, and 16 per cent of boys said they did not receive any kind of sex education at school, with 16 per cent of boys and girls saying they did not trust teachers to provide accurate and unbiased information.
Researchers surveyed 200 British young people as part of a study of 6,026 15 to 24-year-olds in 29 countries conducted in April and May this year. About 61 per cent of the Britons said they were sexually active.
The findings have been released to coincide with World Contraception Day, a campaign to improve awareness of contraception.
Jennifer Woodside, of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said: "What the results show is that too many young people either lack good knowledge about sexual health, do not feel empowered enough to ask for contraception or have not learned the skills to negotiate contraceptive use with their partners to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections.
"What young people are telling us is that they are not receiving enough sex education or the wrong type of information about sex and sexuality."
Parent Network Scotland said it was important for parents to have an open relationship with their teenagers in order to tackle issues such as "safe sex".
Director Jackie Tolland said: "Contraception should be part of a wider talk about sex as there is both the STI aspect and the pregnancy one. Emotions and relationships should also be discussed."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The Scottish Government recently published a sexual health framework which sets out the importance of improving sexual health and reducing unintended pregnancies."As well as measures to improve education for all young people, including those not in school, the framework recommends women are made aware of the availability of local sexual health services to ensure access to good quality information and support and that longer lasting reversible contraception should be provided to women who are most at risk of unintended pregnancy, where appropriate".
Vital to boost numbers of children walking to school
Published date: 13 August 2011 by ALAN ROBERTSON
CAMPAIGNERS have urged the Scottish Government to take action to halt the decline in the number of pupils walking to school as a key way to improve the health of the nation’s children.
Living Streets Scotland said national targets were the “next natural step” towards tackling high obesity rates and increasing poor health among the country’s young people. However, parents’ groups warned of lingering fears over the safety of young children.
Fewer than half (46%) of children in Scotland now travel to school on foot, compared with 56% 10 years ago. Almost one-quarter (23%) are driven, according to official figures.
Keith Irving, Living Streets Scotland manager, said it was time to “redouble” efforts to increase the numbers travelling by foot and prioritise the issue as part of the fight against obesity.
He said: “Local and national government should be setting targets to reverse the decline in numbers of children walking to school and providing support for schools to help pupils meet these guidelines, starting with establishing park-and-ride points to help pupils arrive safely and healthy at school and tackle school-gate congestion.
“The new health guidance specifically calls for ‘breaking up sedentary time such as swapping a long bus or car journey for walking part of the way’.
“Many schools and councils have attempted to tackle this problem. As pupils go back to school, it’s time to redouble our efforts aligned with genuine targets. We need to take action now to make children more physically active, to prevent storing up health problems later in life.”
On the issue of tackling increasing poor health across the country, Mr Irving added: “It is a key part of the solution to childhood obesity. We know that healthcare costs are estimated to be £3 billion a year by 2030 because of rising obesity.
“What you need to do is take preventative action now to help reduce that cost and the burden of obesity on families through reduced life expectancy and worsened quality of life.
“It is well worth doing so on a financial basis and also in terms of social justice as well.”
Almost one-third of children aged between two and 15 in Scotland are outwith the healthy weight range, while around three in five of adults between 16 and 64 are either overweight or obese.
The Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC) said it remains “fully supportive” of moves to encourage more children to walk to school, but warned of lingering fears among parents over the safety of young children.
Eileen Prior, the SPTC’s executive director said: “Most parents agree with the principle, but the reality is often different because independent travel to school does carry risks, particularly in relation to traffic.
“In rural areas this can mean walking along trunk roads where there is no footpath. In cities, even relatively short journeys can mean negotiating major junctions.”
Jackie Tolland, development manager of Parent Network Scotland, which offers help, classes and courses to parents, said improvements in children’s health ought to be implemented via the school curriculum instead.
She added: “It would be great if we could go back to the good old days when we all walked to school, but they are gone.
“Parents are under enough pressure without worrying ‘did they get to school okay?’”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We are committed to active travel and outlined our ambitious vision in the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland that by 2020, 10% of all journeys in Scotland will be made by bike.
“The Sustrans’ Hands Up Survey is the most accurate data-gathering exercise of how Scottish children travel to school and these results see the most robust response yet, with nearly 65% of schools providing information.
“This excellent response not only gives a national picture, but also helps local authorities to identify where they might need to encourage more active travel.”
Source: The Herald 13 August 2011
Full Article http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/news/home-news/vital-to-boost-numbers-of-children-walking-to-school-1.1117378
The Scotsman 11 January 2010 (copyright)
15-year-olds Too Young to Visit Toilet on their Own? 11 January 2010
By CLAIRE GARDNER
A SCOTTISH council has ordered that children up to the age of 16 must be supervised by their parents at all times on a licensed premises – even if that means taking them to the toilet.
The new regulations mean that, for example, a 15-year-old boy eating at a café with his mother has to use the ladies toilets so she can keep an eye on him. Restaurateurs say it is absurd to extend to lavatories the requirement for children to be in sight ofan adult at all times, but believe they have no alternative if they are to avoid the risk of punishment.
Glasgow City Council says the rule is required by the 2005 licensing act and says that although there is a huge difference between a toddler and a teenager, there are no legal provisions for making a distinction between ages.
Francesco Longo, manager of Barbarossa, an Italian restaurant in the south side of Glasgow, said: "We can't risk not to (comply], even if a youngster is 15, for fear of putting our licence at risk." The regulations, which came into force in late 2009, state: "While children are in any part of licensed premises and in particular the toilet areas, they must at all times be within sight of an accompanying adult." This could mean a girl dining with her father or a boy with his mother would have to use the opposite sex's lavatories.
The dangers the council fears children may be exposed to have not been specified. Paul Waterson, chief executive of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, said the rules were "absolutely ridiculous". He added: "Obviously, children should be supervised, but the new laws were not brought in to make sure parents keep their eyes on them every single second."
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: "This rule fits with the principle of protecting children from harm. "Clearly it would be unacceptable for children to be unsupervised on licensed premises, but equally we expect licensees to apply this rule with a degree of common sense. We have to class children as everyone who is under 16, even though there is a huge difference between a toddler and a teenager."
Jackie Tolland, development manager for Parent Network Scotland, which promotes parenting programmes to build relationships between parents and children, called for a common sense approach.
"I think parents should use their own judgment in cases such as these. As a parent you know if your child is trustworthy enough to leave the table and go to the toilet by themselves without misbehaving. As long as it is safe for them to be by themselves then I think it is up to the parents to make a judgment call."
She said that if safety was a factor then responsible parents would not want to take their youngsters into "unsafe environments".
"If you are talking about a pub where people have been drinking heavily then I think you would want to accompany your child to the toilet. But then again what parent would want to take any child into that environment?"
She added: "Becoming more independent is part of a development for any teenager and going to the toilet alone is part of that process."
She added: "Often cafés and restaurants have allocated play areas for children which, as long as the child is mature and sensible enough, should be free to go and play in. Obviously a parent should keep a close eye on them but young adults do need to develop a sense of responsibility."
Source: The Scotsman 10 January 2010
Full Article: http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland/15yearolds--too-young-to.5970352.jp
