Patterns of contraceptive use among Mexican-origin women

Prevalence and dynamics of contraceptive use by type during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Western Iran

Contraception represents a deliberate choice made by individuals, both men and women, to regulate their desired number of children. The primary objective of this study was to examine the prevalence and predictors of contraceptive use, while also exploring the shifts in contraception methods following the COVID-19 pandemic. This study employed a quantitative approach with a survey technique. The survey was conducted in Kermanshah, one of Iran's metropolises located in the western part of the country. The sampling methodology employed in this study involved a combination of multi-stage classification and systematic random methods. The survey took place between July and August 2022. The target population for the survey included women between the ages of 15 and 49. A total of 600 women from this population were selected and included in the survey sample. The sample was described using frequency tables, as well as central and dispersion indices (mean and standard deviation). Additionally, multivariate analysis was conducted through the application of logistic regression. Findings pointed out that approximately 65% of the women in the sample utilized contraception methods. Among these methods, the condom and oral pill were found to be the most prevalent choices. Moreover, the findings indicated that an increase in the number of both living and ideal children was associated with a decreased likelihood of contraceptive use. Following the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an observed increase in the utilization of traditional and natural methods of contraception. This shift highlights the importance of considering a broader range of contraceptive options and not solely focusing on restricting contraception services. In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, women turned to traditional contraceptives, which may increase the risk of unintended pregnancies and subsequent miscarriages. Therefore, providing in-person services to women at their place of residence is necessary during epidemics.

Patterns in Contraceptive Use Among Women of Mexican Origin in the United States and in Mexico

Nulliparous women of Mexican origin in the United States and Mexico are less likely to use effective contraception than parous women, suggesting limited contraceptive access before childbearing.

To examine current contraceptive use by parity among four ethnicity and nativity groups: non-Latina White women in the United States, Mexican-American women in the United States, foreign-born women of Mexican origin in the United States, and Mexican women in Mexico.

The Examination of Young Mexican American Women’s Contraceptive Use

The purpose of this paper is to review all literature on young Mexican American women’s contraceptive use practices in the U.S. to provide an overall picture of the largest Hispanic subgroup. We also discuss how sex education is important to contraceptive use and how parent-child sex communication takes place among young women of this specific population.

Childhood Origins, Migration, and First Modern Contraceptive Use in Turkey

This paper integrates contraception into the extant migrant-fertility framework using the case of internal migration within Turkey. Drawing from the 2013 Turkish Demographic and Health Survey data, we show that migration is positively associated with age of first modern contraceptive use. As women's migration is quickly followed by family formation, women also take up modern contraception after first childbirth, likely due to new encounters with medical professionals, differing contraceptive access and other social exposures. We also find that women whose childhoods were spent in urban areas have a higher risk of first modern contraception relative to women from rural areas, thus suggesting the enduring importance of socialization. These results show how selection processes, life-cycle factors, and sociocultural norms jointly shape modern contraceptive behavior in Turkey. Our results also demonstrate a need for increased reproductive care in rural areas and suggest continued fertility decline with urban migration.

Migration and Contraception among Mexican Women: Assessing Selection, Disruption, and Adaptation

Despite the sizeable impact of migration on childbearing, less is known about how it shapes contraceptive use undergirding fertility. We utilize binational survey data collected in 2006/7 by the Migration, Gender, and Health among Immigrant Latinos in Durham, NC study to assess how selection, disruption, and adaptation shape contraceptive use among Mexican migrant women. We address selectivity with respect to both socio-demographic and formative sexual initiation characteristics, comparing migrants to non-migrants in Mexico. We examine the disruptive effect of migration on contraception among migrant women sexually initiated in Mexico. Finally, we compare current methods between Mexican migrants and non-migrants to assess adaptation to U.S. contraceptive practices. We find migrant selectivity is less important than context in shaping immigrant women's contraceptive practices, though migrant women sexually initiated in the United States exhibit earlier and higher levels of contraceptive use than their migrant peers initiated in Mexico. Migration also disrupts contraceptive trajectories. Many migrants discontinue contraceptive use pre-migration in response to their husbands' solo migration. Partner separation also reduces contraceptive use immediately after migration. Finally, migrants show numerous signs of adaptation to the U.S. context, mainly via the adoption of oral contraception. The main obstacle for contraceptive use in Durham is lack of information about where to obtain it. Efforts to improve immigrants' reproductive health should recognize the deleterious effect of policies encouraging family separation. Healthcare must reach immigrant women soon after arrival, be attuned to pre-migration contraceptive practices, and recognize the unique vulnerabilities of women migrating at older ages.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Relationship Between Risk-Taking and the Effectiveness of Adolescents' Contraceptive Use

CONTEXT

Little is known about whether adolescents' risk-taking in areas other than sex is associated with the effectiveness of their contraceptive method use, or whether any such associations vary by race and ethnicity.

METHODS

Data from the 2011, 2013 and 2015 National Youth Risk Behavior Surveys were used to examine nonsexual risk behaviors and contraceptive method choice among 5,971 sexually active females aged 13-18. Risk-taking profiles for White, Black and Hispanic adolescents were identified using latent class analysis. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the associations between these risk profiles and use of less- or more-effective contraceptive methods at last sexual intercourse.

RESULTS

Three distinct risk-taking profiles were identified for White and Hispanic adolescents and two for Black adolescents. Compared with their counterparts in the low-risk "abstainer" group, White adolescents in the "high substance use and violence" group were less likely to use condoms alone (relative risk, 0.4) or a prescription contraceptive paired with condoms (0.3) rather than no contraceptive at all, and more likely to use withdrawal or no method rather than condoms alone (2.4 each). However, higher risk-taking among Whites was positively associated with using prescription contraceptives rather than condoms (1.9). Among Black and Hispanic females, lower risk-taking was associated only with more condom use.

CONCLUSIONS

Future studies should examine whether interventions designed to reduce adolescent risk-taking improve the effectiveness of contraceptive use, particularly among White females. However, efforts to increase Black and Hispanic adolescents' use of more-effective contraceptives should target barriers other than risk-proneness. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2020, 52(4):TK, doi:10.1363/psrh.12165.

The use of a low-literacy version of the Medicaid sterilization consent form to assess sterilization-related knowledge in Spanish-speaking women: results from a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

To learn whether a version of the Medicaid Sterilization Consent Form (SCF) adapted for populations of low-literacy can help Spanish-speaking women better understand the process and consequences of tubal sterilization.

STUDY DESIGN

We randomly assigned Spanish-speaking women, ages 21-45 years, to review either a "standard" or "low-literacy" version of the Medicaid SCF. We assessed sterilization-related knowledge using items from the Postpartum Tubal Sterilization Knowledge questionnaire, using as the primary outcome correct identification of least four or more knowledge items and as secondary outcome participants' preferred version of the SCF.

RESULTS

Overall sterilization-related knowledge was low in both groups, with 33% of women (n=100) who reviewed the standard SCF form and 42% of those who reviewed the low-literacy form (n=100) correctly identifying four or more knowledge-related items (p=.19). Regarding specific items, women in the low-literacy SCF group were more likely than those in the standard SCF group to understand the permanence of sterilization (69% versus 49%, p<.01) and the time requirement between signing the consent document and undergoing sterilization (79% versus 59%, p<.01). The groups were similar in appreciating availability of equally effective nonpermanent contraceptive options (71% versus 64%, p=.29), time from signing to expiration (33% versus 38%, p=.46), or non-binding nature of sterilization consent (55% versus 62%, p=.32). Overall, 71% of participants from both groups preferred the low-literacy form.

CONCLUSION

In our patient population, characterized by low educational attainment and inadequate health literacy skills, a low-literacy SCF did not improve overall sterilization-related knowledge when compared to the standard SCF. The low-literacy version did improve understanding of the permanence of sterilization and time requirements to undergo the procedure.

IMPLICATIONS

Neither form conveyed an adequate level of knowledge to this vulnerable Spanish-speaking population. Therefore, a considerable need persists for detailed education regarding availability of equally effective reversible contraceptive options, procedure-related risks, and permanence of sterilization throughout the process of informed consent.

Does the Use of Unreliable Contraceptive Methods Increase the Number of Abortions? Results from a National Survey of Women in the United States

In this study the authors assessed the association between the types contraceptive use (unreliable or traditional methods vs. modern methods) and number of abortions among a nationally representative sample of abortion patients in the United States from the Abortion Patients Survey 2008. Unadjusted and adjusted prevalence ratios were calculated to determine the association between unreliable contraceptive methods and number of abortions. Results from the unadjusted and adjusted prevalence ratios revealed that women who used modern methods of contraception were more likely to have had previous abortions compared to women who did not use contraceptives and those who used traditional methods of contraception. Implications for practice, policy, and the role of social workers are discussed.

How User Fees Influence Contraception in Low and Middle Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Accessible and quality reproductive health services are critical for low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). After a decade of waning investment in family planning, interest and funding are growing once again. This article assesses whether introducing, removing, or changing user fees for contraception has an effect on contraceptive use. We conducted a search of 14 international databases. We included randomized controlled trials, interrupted‐time series analyses, controlled before‐and‐after study designs, and cohort studies that reported contraception‐related variables as an outcome and a change in the price of contraceptives as an intervention. Four studies were eligible but none was at low risk of bias overall. Most of these, as well as other studies not included in the present research, found that demand for contraception was not cost‐sensitive. We could draw no robust summary of evidence, strongly suggesting that further research in this area is needed.