Let's not talk about sex
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Beijing's taxi drivers can usually be relied on to be able to discuss almost any topic. But there's one subject that many of them would rather not talk about, especially here in China: sex.
Fang Junjun, for example, clams up when someone tries to steer a conversation towards his sexual health. "I'm a conservative person," says the 42-year-old who has been driving a taxi for the past two years. "I do not like to talk about it."
The traditional Chinese concept that sex is a taboo, combined with the operations of the taxi industry, has made it difficult for the China Family Planning Association (CFPA) to carry out a project that aims to improve sexual and reproductive health awareness among male taxi drivers here.
But the five-month project, which ended in March, was deemed important enough by the CFPA that the organization pressed on to implement it despite the challenges.
Qi Yuling, a program officer at CFPA's international division, explains: "China's birth control and family planning work used to focus on women. There is a misunderstanding in China that women shoulder more responsibilities in reproductive health. Most of the contraception measures are designed for women."
"However," she says, "in most circumstances, the male plays an active part in sexual behavior, posing a great impact on women's reproductive health and pregnancy."
"Paying attention to the reproductive health of men is not only for the interest of men, but also for the health of women and children, and the harmony and happiness between men and women," Qi thus argues. "It will also help improve the population quality of China."
But why taxi drivers in particular? Qi points out that unfortunately, their occupation, which includes long hours of sitting, puts them among those at high risks of having reproductive health problems. At the same time, she says, many of them know little about how to protect their sexual and reproductive health.
"The most common problem related to reproductive system among male taxi drivers is inflammation of the prostate gland," says He Lijun, a doctor with the Wu Jieping Urinary Surgery Medical Center affiliated to the Peking University. "However, most of the drivers don't pay enough attention to their health, and lack medical services."
In fact, a baseline survey among the taxi drivers taking part in the program shows that 56.7 percent had previously suffered from Erectile Dysfunction (ED). In addition, only 20 percent of the respondents accurately knew how to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS.
A total of 350 taxi drivers were given a free physical check-up as part of the project. He says that they reveal prostatitis among taxi drivers as being about 10 percent more common than in the general public.
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