- Joined
- Jan 19, 2011
- Messages
- 1,170
- Points
- 0
have coke, can piak! 
SINGAPORE: Eight in 10 respondents in Singapore have reported not using any form of contraception when having sex with a new partner.
This is among the highest rate of nine Asia Pacific countries surveyed.
The survey was conducted among young adults aged 20 to 35 years by Bayer Healthcare earlier this year to mark World Contraception Day on Monday.
The poll also highlighted Singaporeans' relative lack of knowledge of contraception.
Some 40 per cent of survey respondents said they or their partner preferred not using any, while another one in five thought they were not at risk of getting pregnant.
The survey involved 200 adults from each country.
While the sample size is small, Professor P C Wong of the National University Hospital said the findings still raise eyebrows.
He is also worried that when it comes to effective contraception, respondents appeared more clueless than clued-in.
About one in four believed in at least one common myth on how not to get pregnant.
These include withdrawal before ejaculation, showering after sex, staying upside down for two hours, and rinsing the genital area with Coca-Cola.
The use of Coca-Cola as a contraceptive method has been around for decades, and a study in the 1980s showed that the drink did have some spermicidal qualities.
However, Professor Wong said while douching after sex could kill some sperm, with hundreds of millions of sperm contained within a single ejaculate, a fizzy drink alone is simply no guarantee against pregnancy.
Some respondents also believed that withdrawal before ejaculation will also prevent a pregnancy, but Professor Wong rejected this, explaining that during sex, men may secrete a lubricate - known as pre-ejaculate - that contains semen.
Moreover, he noted that the withdrawal method requires "good timing and a lot of self-control" which may not always be present in the heat of passion.
According to the survey, one in three respondents reported previously receiving wrong information about contraception.
Among respondents who admitted getting their facts wrong, more than half said the Internet was the main culprit, while many also cited friends and religious or spiritual leaders.
Respondents had been presented with a separate list of sources, including their partner, siblings and teachers.
Thirty-nine per cent cited "friends" and another 19 per cent pointed to religious/spiritual leaders as sources of erroneous information on contraception.
Professor Wong suggested getting family doctors or GPs to give information on safe sex.
Others said it's time to change tack.
"If a person's behaviour is ruled ultimately by values, perhaps a good way to start would be to begin to ask these people why they are having sex in the first place. What is their objective, what is the purpose of sex for them? Because these safe sex messages are not working," said Ms Joanna Koh-Hoe, president of Focus on the Family.
Focus on the Family said a more effective approach is to spread the message of abstinence.


SINGAPORE: Eight in 10 respondents in Singapore have reported not using any form of contraception when having sex with a new partner.
This is among the highest rate of nine Asia Pacific countries surveyed.
The survey was conducted among young adults aged 20 to 35 years by Bayer Healthcare earlier this year to mark World Contraception Day on Monday.
The poll also highlighted Singaporeans' relative lack of knowledge of contraception.
Some 40 per cent of survey respondents said they or their partner preferred not using any, while another one in five thought they were not at risk of getting pregnant.
The survey involved 200 adults from each country.
While the sample size is small, Professor P C Wong of the National University Hospital said the findings still raise eyebrows.
He is also worried that when it comes to effective contraception, respondents appeared more clueless than clued-in.
About one in four believed in at least one common myth on how not to get pregnant.
These include withdrawal before ejaculation, showering after sex, staying upside down for two hours, and rinsing the genital area with Coca-Cola.
The use of Coca-Cola as a contraceptive method has been around for decades, and a study in the 1980s showed that the drink did have some spermicidal qualities.
However, Professor Wong said while douching after sex could kill some sperm, with hundreds of millions of sperm contained within a single ejaculate, a fizzy drink alone is simply no guarantee against pregnancy.
Some respondents also believed that withdrawal before ejaculation will also prevent a pregnancy, but Professor Wong rejected this, explaining that during sex, men may secrete a lubricate - known as pre-ejaculate - that contains semen.
Moreover, he noted that the withdrawal method requires "good timing and a lot of self-control" which may not always be present in the heat of passion.
According to the survey, one in three respondents reported previously receiving wrong information about contraception.
Among respondents who admitted getting their facts wrong, more than half said the Internet was the main culprit, while many also cited friends and religious or spiritual leaders.
Respondents had been presented with a separate list of sources, including their partner, siblings and teachers.
Thirty-nine per cent cited "friends" and another 19 per cent pointed to religious/spiritual leaders as sources of erroneous information on contraception.
Professor Wong suggested getting family doctors or GPs to give information on safe sex.
Others said it's time to change tack.
"If a person's behaviour is ruled ultimately by values, perhaps a good way to start would be to begin to ask these people why they are having sex in the first place. What is their objective, what is the purpose of sex for them? Because these safe sex messages are not working," said Ms Joanna Koh-Hoe, president of Focus on the Family.
Focus on the Family said a more effective approach is to spread the message of abstinence.