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Vivian Au

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.
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
Colby, HIV-positive social worker
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.
“The results showed that young people are more open to sex yet they are weak at protecting themselves with safety measures when engaging in sexual behaviour, which could make them susceptible to contracting diseases,” he said.
He called on the authorities to promote more comprehensive sexual education, including safe sex behaviour, the importance of regular HIV checks and to encourage young people to undergo HIV tests.
The organisations also urged those with sexual experience to take an HIV test at least once, as those aged between 20 and 39 were the main infected group in the city.
Colby, a social worker in his 20s, said he had been living with HIV for eight years.
“I didn’t have much understanding of sexual education when I was a student,” he said. “I did not have much understanding of sex before entering into intimate relationships with others.”
He added that it was common for young people to learn about sex solely from their peers.

In August, teaching materials released by the government advising pupils to avoid premarital sex and to consider going to play badminton together to curb sexual urges was criticised as being “out of touch”.
Sonia Wong Yuk-ying, a lecturer in gender studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the curriculum should be more realistic and better address the actual needs of young people. She added that it was important to recognise that sexuality was a normal human need.
Wong said the sex education currently largely focused on negative aspects such as diseases and crimes, but what young people needed was more comprehensive information including safety measures to protect themselves.
Wong Man-tat, chief executive of the foundation, said many hurdles still existed in promoting HIV and Aids education.
“Some members of the public still hold the belief that HIV or Aids is a terminal illness,” he said.
He added that Asian society tended to be more conservative about sex education.
“Many people are reluctant to discuss these topics openly,” Wong said.
Medical experts earlier called for clearer guidelines on HIV testing among lower-risk groups.
Health specialists and the Hong Kong Advisory Council on Aids last week recommended making testing a regular practice for the wider population, following a rise in late HIV diagnoses.


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Around 530 students from Hong Kong tertiary institutes were polled online randomly. Photo: dpa

An academic has called for schools to offer more comprehensive sex education, including teaching young people about safety measures. Photo: Handout

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Hong Kong

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Health & Environment

Schools should offer more comprehensive sex education, including teaching young people about safety measures, academic says


Schools should offer more comprehensive sex education, including teaching young people about safety measures, academic says.
