Conspiracy Beliefs About Birth Control: Barriers to Pregnancy Prevention Among African Americans of Reproductive Age

This article examines the endorsement of conspiracy beliefs about birth control (e.g., the belief that birth control is a form of Black genocide) and their association with contraceptive attitudes and behavior among African Americans. The authors conducted a telephone survey with a random sample of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health education & behavior Vol. 32; no. 4; pp. 474 - 487
Main Authors: Thorburn, Sheryl, Bogart, Laura M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications 01.08.2005
SAGE Publications
Sage
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
African Americans
African Americans - education
African Americans - psychology
Attitudes
Beliefs
Biological and medical sciences
Birth control
Black women
Childbirth & labor
Conspiracy
Contraception
Contraception Behavior - ethnology
Contraception Behavior - psychology
Contraceptives
Cultural Characteristics
Data Collection
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Family Planning Services - utilization
Female
Genocide
Health
Health behavior
Health beliefs
Health care industry
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health services
Homicide - ethnology
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Male
Medical personnel
Medical sciences
Minorities
Minority & ethnic groups
Miscellaneous
Paranoid Behavior - ethnology
Paranoid Behavior - psychology
Pregnancy
Pregnancy, Unplanned
Prevention
Public health
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
REGULAR ARTICLES
Respondents
Safety
Sexual behavior
Sexual Behavior - ethnology
Social aspects
Telephone surveys
United States
Women
Youth
United States
African Americans
family planning
birth control
pregnancy prevention
conspiracy beliefs
contraception
Human
Family planning
Social perception
Accessibility
Contraception
Ethnic group
Pregnancy
Prevention
Birth control
Female
Woman
Public health
African American
Sexually active period
ISSN:1090-1981, 1552-6127
Online Access:Get full text
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Description
Summary:This article examines the endorsement of conspiracy beliefs about birth control (e.g., the belief that birth control is a form of Black genocide) and their association with contraceptive attitudes and behavior among African Americans. The authors conducted a telephone survey with a random sample of 500 African Americans (aged 15-44). Many respondents endorsed birth control conspiracy beliefs, including conspiracy beliefs about Black genocide and the safety of contraceptive methods. Stronger conspiracy beliefs predicted more negative attitudes toward contraceptives. In addition, men with stronger contraceptive safety conspiracy beliefs were less likely to be currently using any birth control. Among current birth control users, women with stronger contraceptive safety conspiracy beliefs were less likely to be using contraceptive methods that must be obtained from a health care provider. Results suggest that conspiracy beliefs are a barrier to pregnancy prevention. Findings point to the need for addressing conspiracy beliefs in public health practice.
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ISSN:1090-1981
1552-6127
DOI:10.1177/1090198105276220