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Survey reveals Brits' worrying STI ignorance

08/08/2008

Almost a third of adults do not use a condom because they trust that their partner does not have a sexually transmitted infection (STI), a new survey has revealed.

The poll by Mintel found an alarmingly-relaxed attitude to safe sex, with just one in three adults saying they always use a condom with a new partner.

And one in ten respondents said they are too embarrassed to buy condoms.

This figure was found to be just as high among older adults as it is among Britain's teenagers.

Just under a third (32 per cent) said they do not think they are at risk of catching an STI at all.

The survey's findings follow a report from the UK's Health Protection Agency IN July which warned that the total number of new STIs diagnosed in 2007 was six per cent higher than in 2006.

"It is clear that many Brits have become very blase about safe sex. Messages about sexual health and protecting against both pregnancy and STIs are not getting through," said Katy Child, senior market analyst at Mintel.

"Communications are either not being clearly delivered, or more dangerously, not being listened to."