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Thursday, February 14, 2013
Ottawa Public Health
Ottawa Public Health asks youth to “Sex it Smart”

Ottawa - Today on Valentine’s Day, Councillor Mathieu Fleury, a member of the Board of Health, and Dr. Vera Etches, Associate Medical Officer of Health, launched Ottawa Public Health’s (OPH) Sex it Smart youth condom campaign in Eaton Court at the Rideau Centre.

The Sex it Smart campaign aims to increase awareness of proper condom use and its importance in reducing the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) through improved condom distribution and better promotion of healthy sexual relationships among youth.

"Youth played an essential role in the creation and implementation of this campaign,” said Councillor Fleury. “Youth were involved in developing a plan, designing the logo as well as the campaign’s ‘look and feel’. This is an important and exciting campaign for our city.”

A key component of the campaign is its website, where organizations and residents can now order free condoms online. The sexitsmart.ca website is also mobile friendly and features an Ottawa condom finder, STI prevention and proper condom use messaging.

An organization can go to the website, click “Get Some”, complete their order and pick it up at the Sexual Health Centre at 171 Clarence Street within three to five business days
A resident can go to the website, click “Get Some”, fill out their information and order details, and a ‘Sex it Smart’ condom package with accompanying health messaging will be mailed to them

“Lack of condom use is the top risk factor among individuals diagnosed with an STI,” said Dr. Etches. “In Ottawa, over a quarter of sexually active 15 to 19 year olds did not use a condom the last time they had sex. We hope this campaign will decrease this number and reduce the transmission of STIs."

For more information on the Sex it Smart campaign, visit sexitsmart.ca.

For more information on healthy sexuality go to ottawa.ca/health or call the Ottawa Public Health Information Line at 613-580-6744. You can also follow OPH on Twitter and Facebook.