75% of young Hongkongers with sexual experience have not tested for HIV: poll
Schools should offer more comprehensive sex education, including teaching young people about safety measures, academic says
About 75 per cent of young Hongkongers have never taken an HIV test despite having sexual experience, a survey has found, with concern groups calling for more regular medical checks and better education.
The survey, conducted by the Hong Kong Aids Foundation and the Queer Straight Alliance last month, was aimed at better understanding the views of young people, especially tertiary students, towards sex and Aids.
Around 530 students from tertiary institutions were polled online randomly, with about 80 per cent aged between 16 and 25 years.
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The survey found 40 per cent of those polled had sexual experience and about 75 per cent of those respondents had not received an HIV test.
More than half of those with sexual experience did not consistently use preventive measures to protect themselves from HIV and sexually transmitted infections.
The survey also found that 60 per cent of high-risk individuals, including those with multiple sexual partners and transgender people, did not receive an HIV test regularly.
I didn’t have much understanding of sexual education when I was a student
Wilson Lam Wai-shun, vice-chairman of the service committee of the Hong Kong Aids Foundation and an infectious disease specialist, said the findings showed young people lacked knowledge about sex.
