Sexual- und Verhütungsverhalten von Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen in Deutschland. Aktuelle Ergebnisse der Repräsentativbefragung „Jugendsexualität“

BACKGROUND: Since 1980, the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) has regularly conducted the “Youth Sexuality” representative surveys. This continuous monitoring generates insights on the sexual and reproductive health of young people in Germany. The survey provides an important basis for the development of sexuality education and family planning measures. AIM: The current sexual and contraceptive behavior of adolescents and young adults will be summarized using initial descriptive results from the ninth iteration of the survey. METHODS: A total of N = 6032 adolescents and young adults participated in the survey. Data collection was conducted by computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) in 2019. RESULTS: A key finding of this iteration is that with regards to the age of the first sexual intercourse, the proportion of adolescents younger than 17 years has been declining for several years. For contraception, adolescents most frequently used condoms, and use of the pill has decreased. DISCUSSION: The data from the current iteration indicate safe and responsible contraceptive behavior among young people in Germany. Nevertheless, it is important to maintain the commitment in the field of sexual health promotion and expand prevention measures for specific target groups. This is the only way to ensure the sexual and reproductive health of the next generation.