OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — It’s hard to miss the overflowing bowl of condoms at the entrance of the gym. Some University of Mississippi students walking past after their workout snicker and point, and the few who step forward to consider grabbing a condom rethink it when their friends catch up, laughter trailing behind them.
Almost no one actually reaches in to take one. Though officials say they refill the bowl multiple times a day, and condoms are available at multiple places on campus, Ole Miss students say the disinterest is indicative of changing attitudes. are , but the teens and young adults who are sexually active aren’t using condoms as regularly, if at all.
And people ages 15 to 24 made up half of new and in 2022. The downward trend in condom usage is due to a few things: medical advancements like and ; a fading fear of ; and in high schools. Is this the end of condoms? Not exactly.
But it does have some public health experts thinking about how to help younger generations have safe sex, be aware of their options — condoms included — and get tested for STIs regularly. “Old condom ads were meant to scare you, and all of us were scared for the longest time,” said Dr. Joseph Cherabie, medical director of the St.
Louis HIV Prevention Training Center. “Now we’re trying to move away from that and focus more on what works for you.” A shift in attitudes Downtown Oxford was thrumming the day before the first football game of the season.
The fall semester had jus.
