Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Health): Yes.
Judy Turner: Is she concerned that $630,000 more funding, on
top of the $1.3 million already spent on her No Rubba, No Hubba
Hubba campaign, is simply throwing more money into gimmicky slogans
that fail to give teenagers substantive information about the
risks of sexually transmitted infections, let alone question
whether sexual involvement is even appropriate for them, and
will she commit to implementing a more realistic programme, given
that a recent evaluation of the campaign stressed that a more
multifaceted approach is needed to produce meaningful changes
in teenage sexual behaviour?
Hon ANNETTE KING: No. If the member is talking of the survey
that was on television last night, I think that survey was undertaken
before the commencement of the No Rubba, No Hubba Hubba programme.
I can tell the member that an evaluation has been carried out
on the programme, and it showed that 97 percent of respondents
were aware of the campaign, 65 percent had discussed it with
their friends, and 49 percent indicated that the campaign probably
had increased the likelihood of their using condoms in the future.
The number of respondents who said that they would still have
sex if no condom was available had decreased from 46 percent
pre-campaign to 36 percent post-campaign. There were also other
results from that evaluation. I would prefer to rely on that
evaluation than on a survey that-although it may have been perfectly
good- was taken before the campaign on which the member based
her question began.
Lesley Soper: Does the Minister agree with Dr Sue Bagshaw's comment
on Close Up last night that education alone will not make a difference
in young people's awareness of the need to use condoms?
Hon ANNETTE KING: Yes, I do agree because I agree that education
needs to go alongside the development of other life skills, including
learning to negotiate in a relationship, which in some cases
is learning the skill to say no.
Judy Turner: Has she read the study released yesterday by the
Otago University school of medicine that showed that only 44
percent of sexually active teens use condoms, and then only because
they fear pregnancy rather than contracting a sexually transmitted
infection; if so, does she agree with the view of the author
that advertising campaigns and sex education in schools are not
enough to change students' attitudes towards sexually transmitted
infections?
Hon ANNETTE KING: Yes, and that result is a worry. That survey
was taken before the campaign that the member mentioned in her
first question. As was pointed out on television last night-and
I agree, as I said in my previous answer to my colleague-the
issue does require more than education.
Judy Turner: Does the fact that the latest No Rubba, No Hubba
Hubba advertisements on bus stops feature only the cartoon character
and the slogan mean that her Government thinks teenagers are
not smart enough to absorb more informative messages, and does
she think the slogan gives the impression that being in possession
of a condom is the only consideration needed when contemplating
sexual involvement?
Hon ANNETTE KING: No and no.
