Racial/ethnic disparities in contraceptive use: variation by age and women's reproductive experiences

Disparities in unintended pregnancy in the United States are related, in part, to black and Hispanic women being overall less likely to use effective contraceptive methods. However, the fact that these same groups are more likely to use female sterilization, a highly effective method, suggests there...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of obstetrics and gynecology Vol. 210; no. 6; pp. 526.e1 - 526.e9
Main Authors: Dehlendorf, Christine, Park, Seo Young, Emeremni, Chetachi A., Comer, Diane, Vincett, Kathryn, Borrero, Sonya
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Mosby, Inc 01.06.2014
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Black or African American - statistics & numerical data
contraception
Contraception - methods
Contraception - statistics & numerical data
Contraception Behavior - ethnology
Contraception Behavior - statistics & numerical data
disparities
Female
Health Surveys
Hispanic or Latino - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Odds Ratio
Pregnancy
Pregnancy, Unplanned - ethnology
race/ethnicity
Regression Analysis
Socioeconomic Factors
United States
White People - statistics & numerical data
United States
disparities
contraception
race/ethnicity
ISSN:0002-9378, 1097-6868, 1097-6868
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Disparities in unintended pregnancy in the United States are related, in part, to black and Hispanic women being overall less likely to use effective contraceptive methods. However, the fact that these same groups are more likely to use female sterilization, a highly effective method, suggests there may be variability in disparities in contraceptive use across a woman's life course. We sought to assess the relationship between race/ethnicity and contraceptive use in a nationally representative sample and to approximate a life course perspective by examining effect modification on these disparities by women's age, parity, and history of unintended pregnancy. We conducted an analysis of the 2006 through 2010 National Survey of Family Growth to determine the association between race/ethnicity and: (1) use of any method; (2) use of a highly or moderately effective method among women using contraception; and (3) use of a highly effective method among women using contraception. We then performed analyses to assess interactions between race/ethnicity and age, parity, and history of unintended pregnancy. Our sample included 7214 females aged 15-44 years. Compared to whites, blacks were less likely to use any contraceptive method (adjusted odds ratio, 0.65); and blacks and Hispanics were less likely to use a highly or moderately effective method (adjusted odds ratio, 0.49 and 0.57, respectively). Interaction analyses revealed that racial/ethnic disparities in contraceptive use varied by women's age, with younger women having more prominent disparities. Interventions designed to address disparities in unintended pregnancy should focus on improving contraceptive use among younger women.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
Contact Information: Christine Dehlendorf, MD MAS, 995 Potrero Avenue Ward 83, San Francisco, CA 94110, cdehlendorf@fcm.ucsf.edu, (415) 206-8712, (415) 516-8917 cell (415) 206-8387 fax
ISSN:0002-9378
1097-6868
1097-6868
DOI:10.1016/j.ajog.2014.01.037