Objectives
To
understand women’s preferences for specific features of contraceptive methods,
the extent to which features of existing methods match women’s preferences, and
whether this match differs by racial and ethnic subgroups.
Study Design
Using
data from 1,783 women in family planning and abortion clinics across the United
States, we performed analyses of racial and ethnic differences in contraceptive
features reported to be “extremely important” by participants. We explored how
preferences vary for more and less effective contraceptive methods.
Results
In
multivariate analysis non-Hispanic Black, Latinas and Asian Pacific Islander
women were more likely to report the following features as “extremely
important” compared to non-Hispanic Whites (p<0.05): being able to stop
using the method at any time, using a method only with intercourse, and the
method not changing her menstrual periods. Non-Hispanic Black and Latina women
were statistically more likely to report that protection against sexually
transmitted diseases, having control over when and whether to use the method
and being able to become pregnant after stopping use were extremely important.
The contraceptive feature preferences of racial and ethnic minority women in
our study had a relatively lower match with high efficacy methods and higher
match for low efficacy methods compared to White women (p<0.05).
Conclusions
High
rates of unintended pregnancy among minority women may be due in part to
differences in contraceptive features preferences, and discrepancy between
their preferences and the features of currently available highly effective
methods.
Implications
In
the context of disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy by racial and
ethnic group, this variation in preferences for contraceptive features by
race/ethnicity may explain differences in contraceptive use and can inform the
development of more acceptable methods of contraception.
Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/aybZfX
Affiliations
Department
of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, UCSF
Bixby
Center for Global Reproductive Health, UCSF
Corresponding
author at: University of California San Francisco, Women’s Health Center, 2356
Sutter Street, J-140, San Francisco, CA 94115
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