A health report named North Carolina as the fifth worst state in the country, with the fewest safe sex precautions and measures.
The study, conducted by sexual wellness platform Bedbible, analyzed five different metrics to create a ranking index out of 100, where the higher the score, the better the sexual confidence.
The metrics included rates of sexual diseases such as: chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis per 100.000 people, number of sexual health clinics per 100.000 residents and Google searches for safety measures (including key phrases like “contraception,” “safe sex tips,” and “condoms”) per 100.000 people. Each measure was evaluated and ranked to give states a score out of 100.
Clinics in North Carolina
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Northeastern states are the safest
Regarding the findings, a Bedbible expert said: “Safe sex practices are vital to maintaining healthy relationships and overall well-being. This study highlights significant variations in sexual health safety across the United States, indicating where local governments need to do more to keep residents informed about good practices.”
The expert highlighted that the northeastern states are the ones that generally do better in safe sex practices, which is why no state in this region appears in the bottom ten.
El state of vermont , located in the northeast of the country, with a score of 72,2 out of 100, is classified as the safe sex capital of the nation, an increase of 78% compared to the average score (40,5).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Vermont has the lowest rate of chlamydia cases per 100.000 residents in the United States, at 197, and receives more than 706 searches per month for safe sex measures. Additionally, Vermont has three clinics per 100,000 people, putting the state above average in this department.
Southern states the most insecure
However, many southern states show a gap where sexual health is potentially not discussed openly.
The pattern of higher cases of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) in the south of the country is worrying.
“There needs to be a destigmatization of sex so that any sexually active person, with or without symptoms, feels comfortable going and getting tested. Keeping yourself and your partner safe should be the top priority,” the expert said.
Providing people with the tools to prevent STIs is crucial. Overall, the study underscores the need for a national strategy to improve sexual health education, promote safe sex, and reduce disease rates.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
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North Carolina fifth worst in the country
North Carolina , ranks fifth due to above-average rates of chlamydia (595 per 100,000 people), syphilis (246 per 100,000 people) along with below-average number of clinics per 100,000 people (1.14), that left the state with a score of 28.6 in the ranking.
What other states are worse?
As pointed out by the experts of Drinkable, the southern states show the worst score in the country in terms of sexual safety, and the following are those that were ranked as the worst in the country, along with North Carolina
Dakota del Sur ranks last in the study with a score of only 11.2 , a worrying 72% decrease from the average score. In the state, there are above-average cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, with just over one clinic per 100,000 people.
Then it follows Mississippi , which ranks as the second worst region with a slightly better score with 14.7 out of 100. The state has some of the highest rates of chlamydia per 100,000 people, with 781 cases (a 66% increase over the average), and safe sex resources are searched on Google at a rate of 406 searches for every 100,000 people.
Thirdly, there is Alabama . The southern state was left with a score of 25,9 out of 100. There are 1,7 clinics per 100.000 inhabitants, and the three cases of STIs are above average.
South Carolina occupies fourth place with a score of 26.3 . Here, there are 1,75 sexual health clinics per 100.000 inhabitants and searches for safe sex measures are 20% below the average figure, with 467 searches per 100.000 people.
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