Push to rename morning-after pill because schoolies don’t know what it is, says Gold Coast researcher

A Gold Coast researcher has come up with a startling find after surveying schoolies, revealing the group has much more to learn when it comes to having sex.

GOLD Coast researchers want the morning-after pill renamed after it was found schoolies did not know the basics of contraception.

A Griffith University study of hundreds of Year 12 students at the 2017 Schoolies festival discovered more than half (63 per cent) were unaware the emergency contraception was available, and a quarter believed it was harmful.

The study, published for the first time today, also found that young women were two to three times more likely than young men to show understanding of its availability, use, safety and effectiveness.

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Schoolies don't know anything about the morning after pill according to shocking new research by the Griffith University. They now want to change its name because teens seem so confused. Lecturer Denise Hope with the pill that can be used up to five days after sex. Picture Glenn Hampson

“We were quite surprised at the results,” said Denise Hope, the lead researcher of the school of pharmacy and pharmacology at Griffith University.

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“It was almost shocking to me that 15 years after emergency contraception was made available from pharmacists so few young people were aware of its availability.

“I think a lot of the male participants especially seemed even naive for want of a better word.

“It was clear in the results that while we ideally want men and women to be equally responsible for contraception, young men had less awareness also on the day, and were less engaged.”

Ms Hope said she even saw young men handing off the iPads which were used to collect the answers to their female friends.

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Schoolies have no idea about emergency contraception. Picture: Shuttlestock

“A few didn’t understand the questions applied to them too.”

Less than two months out from the next Schoolies festival, Ms Hope said the timing was right to have clearer discussions about the language.

“Numerous studies tell us engagement in intoxication and unprotected sex is very high at Schoolies, and the impact of unplanned pregnancy is significantly greater in younger people.

“Half of respondents thought the window of effectiveness was either 12 or 24 hours, which tells us the “morning after” misnomer is clearly misleading.

“While the effectiveness of emergency contraception is enhanced by its timely use, young women should be made aware they have up to five days following unprotected intercourse to access the medicine from a pharmacy.

‘This phrasing should be abandoned, in favour of ‘emergency contraception’, which is more clinically appropriate.”

Queensland Health data also shows the city has recorded a rise in the number of known sexually transmitted diseases.

In the past year, the total number of Hepatitis C (up 41.6 per cent) and gonorrhoea cases (up 22.8 per cent) increased. Chlamydia rates dropped marginally by 4.4 per cent.