Stress and depression have been identified as the main causes why more than 70 percent of Chinese people are not satisfied with sex, according to the results of a national survey published on Sunday, Oct 25.
The survey also revealed that almost 90 percent of interviewees agreed that satisfaction with their sex lives has a significant contribution to their marital happiness and self-confidence.
More than 40 percent, however, said they had reduced sexual activity due to depression or stress.
According to China Daily, the result of the survey was based on more than 72,000 questionnaires and involved mainly respondents aged between 26 and 55. The report said that about 60 percent of the respondents were men, and more than 50 percent were office workers.
The survey, which was conducted to mark National Men's Health Day on Wednesday, Oct. 21, said that about 90 percent of Chinese men with erectile dysfunction used traditional Chinese herbs or folk remedies for treatment.
The report added that the survey was conducted by the Chinese Medical Association's Society of Andrology and the China Sexology Association. It was started in the middle of the year.
About 75 percent of respondents said that depression and pressure from life and work are the biggest obstacles to achieving a high-quality sex life, which resulted in health problems including insomnia, smoking and alcohol addiction.
Liu Defeng, a physician at Peking University Third Hospital, said, "Most of them feel shy about telling doctors about their problems, or are overly concerned about the side-effects of pills."
The survey also showed that only seven men out of 100 with sex problems in China have been treated with Western medicine. "Compared with the rate in many Western countries, the number in China is very low," Liu said.
On the other hand, more than 80 percent of Chinese people believed that erectile function is the most important factor in their sex lives.
Liu said that 23 million out of the 30 million who suffer from erectile dysfunction in the U.S. used Viagra, a Western medicine to treat the problem, as prescribed by doctors.
"The problem of erectile dysfunction is not life-threatening, but will affect people's mental and physical health, or even the happiness of their family," Pierre Gaudreault, chief marketing officer in China for Pfizer, the manufacturer of Viagra, was quoted as saying.