Senior Research Fellow , Glasgow Caledonian University
Doctoral Researcher, School of Health Insurance And Lifetime Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University
Disclosure statement
Karen Lorimer gets give capital from the main Scientist workplace, Scottish Government.
Jen MacDonald is funded by way indian mail order bride of a Glasgow Caledonian University PhD stipend.
Glasgow Caledonian University provides financing as a founding partner for the discussion British.
The discussion UK gets funding from all of these organisations
- Messenger
The proposition of an ultra-thin condom produced from graphene and latex brings design of this contraceptive in to the century that is 21st. We now have yet to experience a prototype, however the designers during the University of Manchester stated the thinnest and strongest condom ever made would enhance feeling during intercourse, that they wish will encourage more condom use.
Graphene is a type of carbon that’s been touted a “miracle material”, may be one-atom dense the strongest ever calculated and an upgraded for silicone. James Hone, an engineering teacher from Columbia University, stated it had been so strong that “it would just take an elephant, balanced for a pencil, to split through a sheet of graphene the depth of Saran Wrap cling movie”|film” that is cling.
The program at Manchester would be to combine graphene with latex, presently the primary product utilized in making condoms, in order to make their particular. But will enhancing sensation really cause individuals to utilize condoms more?
Locating the right fit
Despite condoms being among the best approaches to avoid maternity and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as for instance chlamydia and HIV, they’re nevertheless unpopular for many different reasons.
There’s been a complete great deal of research performed into focusing on how frequently condoms are now being utilized, just exactly what issues are connected with with them and people’s attitudes towards them. A myriad of social and emotional facets influence exactly how much we utilize condoms, such as for example lack of pleasure, the odor (commonly from latex) and arguments which they result some males to get rid of their erection.
Individuals have a tendency to think about the recognized advantages and disadvantages of condoms and safer intercourse. There is certainly a spectrum of condom usage from individuals staying away from them after all, to with them inconsistently or wanting to utilize them and failing. And an evergrowing human anatomy of scientific studies are telling us more info on the mistakes and issues men and women have when utilizing condoms – including fit, breakages and spillages.
Cops and rubbers
There were numerous attempts to market condom usage throughout the world. In Thailand for instance, efforts had been made through the entire 1980s to boost condom use to reduce the country’s high birth prices and also as element of an HIV prevention programme within the 1990s. The us government caused brothel owners to enforce condom usage, there was clearly a media campaign and cops distributed condoms through something called the “cops and rubbers” initiative.
Thailand’s ‘Mr Condom’ at TEDx.
Despite some success, dilemmas stay with condom usage still reduced in rural areas specially. This points to deficiencies in understanding and accessibility to condoms being a good basis for low usage. But even yet in the West where condoms are widely accessible and education that is sexual raise understanding, high prices of STIs persist. Therefore could it be actually constantly about deficiencies in supply?
Condoms for the unclean?
Overview of 268 qualitative studies in The Lancet discovered seven key themes reported by teenagers about non-safe sex, including which they had been stigmatising or suggested too little trust. Another was at the perception of prospective intimate partners as “clean” or “unclean” – therefore if someone had been deemed the previous it absolutely was okay to not make use of a condom. Other social objectives, like the concern with appearing “easy” or otherwise not additionally arrived into play.
Provided social reasons influence intimate behaviour, brand new technology like the graphene condom (and another idea checking out “shape memory”) won’t fundamentally improve attitudes toward making use of condoms. It’s there’s that are clear some strategy to use right right here.
But pleasure that is emphasising be a fresh narrative that encourages some to think about the pros and cons a little differently. When it comes to part that is most, tries to encourage young adults to utilize condoms employ scare strategies that emphasise the results of maybe not making use of them. Many of y our studies have unearthed that teenage boys really reject these fear narratives and want a tone that is different wellness communications. Therefore a condom that emphasises “enhanced pleasure” might be effective of these teams. Our company is additionally considering the attitudes of older grownups towards condom usage, while they remain intimately active.
The social and social forces at play that influence just exactly how teenagers behave into the bed room means information that is merely providing condoms is not sufficient to produce changes in sexual behavior. While medical improvements in intimate wellness such as for instance graphene condoms might be important, getting individuals to put them on within the place that is first a much much deeper knowledge of the social and social forces at the job.