24% of UK 16 to 17 year old girls take the contraceptive pill
People who have been campaigning for contraception and sexual health have welcomed these results. These results form part of a national survey called Living in Britain.
The survey covered a range of aspects of the daily life of British people - smoking, drinking, purchases and lifestyle. It covered the 1989/9 to 2002/3 period.
One quarter of all British women are on the pill. The 16-17 year old group is not much different. There has also been an increase in women aged 30-34 and 45-49 who are on the pill.
Of the women aged 16-49, 19% said their partners were happier to use a condom. At the end of this four year period, 23% of the partners of 16-17 year old girls prefer to use a condom, this figure is up from 18% at the beginning of the period.
The only constant figure since 1986 is the number of women aged 16-49 who use at least one method of contraception, that figure has stood at one in seven women.
Melissa Dear, Family Planning Association Spokeswoman said "It's very positive news. It shows women have confidence in the Pill and are happy using it. I think the rise in use in women at both ends of the spectrum shows that the message that the Pill is safe for women of any age is getting through.'
She also said the percentage of girls under 18 who were getting pregnant has gone down by 9.4% during the four-year-period.
She found it encouraging that women are using condoms and taking their use and importance seriously. With the rise in STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) she says condom use is very important.
She believes increased contraception use by teenagers is likely to be due to better sex education for young people as well as improved access to services.
44% of women, aged 45-39 chose sterilisation of one or both partners in 2002. Up from 35% in 1986. On the other hand, the percentage of women aged 25-39 who opted for sterilisation dropped.
There was a drop in the number of 16-49 year-olds who had taken the morning after pill during the last twelve months. The figure now stands at 5%.
People from more than 8,500 households, families and individuals were questioned by the Office for National Statistics.
24% din Regatul Unit 16 la 17 de ani, fetele iau pilule contraceptive - 24% of UK 16 to 17 year old girls take the contraceptive pill - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate