Only 5% of 15-25 year olds asked for free condoms in pharmacies

Going out covered is no longer a given. You only need to look at the figures for the spread of sexually transmitted infections to realize this: according to the latest figures, 500,000 new infections are recorded in France each year, a figure which has been increasing since the 2000s. Faced with this scourge, a system of free condoms for 15-25 year olds in pharmacies was put in place last January. 11 months later, the observation is clear: only 5% of young people say they have asked for it several times in pharmacies, according to a Laboratoires Majorelle-Opinionway study carried out at the end of September

An epidemiological context that is nevertheless alarming

The information campaigns carried out for years around AIDS, however, seem to be bearing fruit: HIV screening activities have been on the rise since 2012. But STIs, therefore sexual “infections”, continue to increase in France. Other indicators also demonstrate a lack of education on young people’s sexuality and the increase in risky behavior:

• Since the CoVid health crisis, the consumption of morning-after pills has almost doubled, from 1.4 million in 2019 to 2.8 million in 2023 (GERS data. (The 2023 figure is an extrapolation based on existing data for the January-September period);
• Abortions reached record levels in 2022 with 234,000 terminations of pregnancies, particularly among 20-24 year olds. We note that the largest increase is among 20-24 year olds between 2021 and 2022 (DRESS data);
• Female contraception has declined sharply since 2015, with 500,000 fewer women taking contraception (IQVIA, GERS, OPEN LPP’AM data).

Free condoms, a simple and accessible solution

On the occasion of World AIDS Day (December 1), it is therefore time to remind young people of the importance of protecting themselves and the ease with which they can access condoms, the only device to date that really avoid illness and STIs.

To this end, Majorelle laboratories are conducting an information campaign on social networks and on the website, notably with the creation of an educational site. condotes-gratuites.fr which comes back to this gratuity.