KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian youths who are still studying or remain in an academic environment are more likely to postpone their first sexual experience, according to a survey.

The “Face of Global Sex Report 2012” by Durex said that young people in Malaysia on average would encounter their first sexual experience at 23 and receive sexual education from the age of 15, compared to the average age of 12 in countries like Austria, Germany and Mexico.

The study also showed that Malaysia was one of the countries that practiced safe sex, with a ranking of 13th among 37 countries surveyed globally.

Furthermore, about 54% of respondents in Malaysia said they were more likely to use a condom the first time they had sex as compared to Singaporeans and Indonesians.

It also found that almost 67% of Malaysian respondents said they had never experienced an unplanned pregnancy, putting the country as the second lowest in the South-east Asian region.

This is despite the study showing that Malaysians received sexual education at the relatively late age of 15, the second oldest after India.

“It showed that Malaysians are generally responsible when practicing sex. This will reduce the likelihood of sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancy, resulting in more positive sexual health impact in later life,” said Nikhilesh Kalra, strategic commercial director of Reckitt Benckiser Malaysia and Singapore.

Reckitt Benckiser produces the condom brand Durex.

Brazil, Greece and South Korea were the three countries with the highest proportion of condom users while those at the bottom were Indonesia, the Czech Republic and New Zealand.

- The Star

By Tashny Sukumara

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/10/26/nation/12230597&sec=nation