Kuala Lumpur (The Star/ANN) - Condoms are the second most popular contraception method in Malaysia, with a whopping 80 to 90 million pieces sold annually.
"Contraceptive pills remain the most preferred method because of the ease of use," National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) chairman Napsiah Omar said while speaking to reporters after the launch of the "One Million Actions" programme in conjunction with the World Population Day celebrated today.
"We have been using condoms in the country since the 1960s and today it has become the second most popular method of family planning," he said.
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Bernard Dompok launched the programme.
Napsiah said the LPPKN distributed about 120,000 condoms to their clients through 58 Nur Sejahtera clinics and other programmes.
However, the increase of condom sales by an average of 8 per cent annually did not reflect awareness among young adults and teens on its correct usage as surveys have consistently showed a lack of knowledge about reproductive health among the group.
According to the fourth Malaysian Population and Family Survey in 2004, only 50 per cent of Malaysian teens have adequate knowledge about reproductive organs of both genders and only 47 per cent know about how a baby is conceived and born.
Through the "One Million Actions" programme, seven condom manufacturers have donated one million condoms worth a total of 1 million ringgit (US$314,267) through the Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council to the LPPKN.