Showing papers in "Family Planning Perspectives in 1995"
TL;DR: Data from a 1989 national probability sample of 8,098 high school students in the United States indicate that young people's discussions about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with parents and with peers are highly correlated and have opposite effects on behavior.
Abstract: Data from a 1989 national probability sample of 8098 high school students in the United States indicate that young peoples discussions about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with parents and with peers are highly correlated and have opposite effects on behavior: Students who discussed HIV with their parents were less likely than those who did not to have had multiple sex partners to have had unprotected sexual intercourse and to have ever injected drugs; on the other hand students who discussed HIV with their peers were more likely than those who did not to have had multiple partners and to have had unprotected sexual intercourse. Subgroup analyses show that young women were influenced more by HIV discussions with parents while young men were influenced more by discussions with peers; some communication effects differed by race and ethnicity. Students who received HIV instruction in school were more likely to have talked about HIV with both parents and peers. (EXCERPT)
179 citations
TL;DR: Analyses based on a sample of 2,795 women interviewed annually from 1979 through 1991 in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth show that early childbearing lowers the educational attainment of young women.
Abstract: then public policies that focus on reducing teenage pregnancy and childbearing may do little to improve the life chances of many disadvantaged young women. Proving, or disproving, the theory that teenage childbearing undermines a woman’s chances of social and economic success in adulthood is essential if policies to reduce poverty and welfare dependence are to be grounded in an appropriate conceptual framework. This article presents new estimates of the relationship between teenage childbearing and educational attainment, a central issue in the scholarly and public policy debates. Recognizing that adolescent fertility is endogenous with respect to educational attainment because it is likely to be related to the expected costs of and returns from investing in education, we take such endogeneity into account in our analyses. Because the relationship between fertility and education may vary by race and ethnicity, we conduct separate analyses for non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks (hereafter referred to as “whites” and “blacks”) and Hispanics. Our analyses are based on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Recent Research The ability of young mothers to support themselves and their children is affected by the employment opportunities available to them. These opportunities, in turn, are largely determined by the qualifications young mothers bring to the market. It seems reasonable to assume that caring for young children will conflict with and possibly reduce a woman’s investment of time and effort in high school completion, college attendance, postsecondary training and early work experience. If reduc
171 citations
TL;DR: A review of five rigorously evaluated adolescent pregnancy prevention programs shows that all five incorporate an emphasis on abstinence or delay of sexual initiation, training in decision-making and negotiation skills, and education on sexuality and contraception.
Abstract: A review of five rigorously evaluated adolescent pregnancy prevention programs shows that all five incorporate an emphasis on abstinence or delay of sexual initiation, training in decision-making and negotiation skills, and education on sexuality and contraception. Four of the five directly or indirectly provide access to contraceptive services. Comparisons between treatment and control groups show that all four programs that measured changes in rates of sexual initiation among adolescents had a significant effect on that outcome, reducing the proportion of adolescents who initiated sexual activity by as much as 15 percentage points; the programs were most successful when they targeted younger adolescents. Three of these four programs also significantly increased rates of contraceptive use among participants relative to controls; the most successful programs, which increased contraceptive use by as much as 22 percentage points, provided access to contraceptive services and targeted adolescents who were younger and those who were not yet sexually experienced. Two programs significantly decreased the proportion of adolescents who became pregnant; these programs were the two that were most active in providing access to contraceptive services.
159 citations
TL;DR: Results showed no association between having sex under the influence of alcohol and engaging in unsafe sexual practices, but those who consumed five or more drinks at a sitting and those who used marijuana were more likely than others to have had more than one sexual partner.
Abstract: Data on substance use and sexual activity from a nationally representative, probability-based sample of young adults aged 18-30 in 1990 indicate that 86% of respondents had had sex in the previous 12 months, with three-fourths reporting no more than one sexual partner. Seventy-five percent of respondents had consumed alcohol in the past 12 months, 40% had smoked cigarettes and 20% had used marijuana. After adjustment for demographic factors, both sexual activity and a history of multiple partners were positively associated with some measures of substance use. Respondents who drank more frequently, those who were heavy drinkers, those who smoked cigarettes and those who used marijuana in the past year were more likely than others to be sexually active. Those who consumed five or more drinks at a sitting and those who used marijuana were more likely than others to have had more than one sexual partner. Heavy drinkers were also less likely to use condoms; however, the results showed no association between having sex under the influence of alcohol and engaging in unsafe sexual practices.
156 citations
TL;DR: Information from mothers aged 15-49 who had babies in 1988 and were surveyed in the National Maternal and Infant Health Survey indicates that fathers for whom age is not reported on the birth certificate are considerably younger than other fathers.
Abstract: One in every six U.S. birth certificates have no information on the age of the baby's father; for more than four in 10 babies born to adolescent women, no data are available on the father's age. Information from mothers aged 15-49 who had babies in 1988 and were surveyed in the National Maternal and Infant Health Survey indicates that fathers for whom age is not reported on the birth certificate are considerably younger than other fathers. In 1988, 5% of fathers were under age 20, and 20% were aged 20-24. Fathers typically are older than mothers, especially when the mothers are teenagers. Fathers who are unmarried, black or partners of lower income women are younger than other fathers.
139 citations
TL;DR: A review of 12 published studies on patient attitudes and reactions to early first-trimester pregnancy termination by medical methods shows consistent patterns, despite important differences in study design, measurement and outcome.
Abstract: A review of 12 published studies on patient attitudes and reactions to early first-trimester pregnancy termination by medical methods shows consistent patterns, despite important differences in study design, measurement and outcome. In most trials that offered participants a choice between surgical and medical abortion, 60-70% of patients chose the medical method. The most common reasons cited for choosing the medical method were greater privacy and autonomy, less invasiveness and greater naturalness than surgery. Frequently mentioned drawbacks included pain, the duration of bleeding, the number of visits, and the waiting time to know if the treatment has been successful. Most women who had a medical abortion said they were satisfied with the method, would recommend it to friends and would use it again if they needed another abortion.
133 citations
TL;DR: Measurements of the direct effects of planning status on development indicate that mistimed and unwanted children are at a disadvantage: Those younger than two have higher mean scores for fearfulness than wanted infants and lower scores for positive affect; unintended preschoolers score lower on a measure of receptive vocabulary.
Abstract: Of 1,327 children younger than two in 1986 whose mothers were participants in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 61% were wanted, 34% were mistimed and 5% were unwanted. Planning status is associated with the level of developmental resources the child receives at home: At ages one and older, mistimed and unwanted children score significantly lower on a scale measuring opportunity for skill development and on a scale measuring nonauthoritarian parenting style than their wanted peers; by preschool age, they also have significantly less-positive relationships with their mothers. Measures of the direct effects of planning status on development also indicate that mistimed and unwanted children are at a disadvantage: Those younger than two have higher mean scores for fearfulness than wanted infants and lower scores for positive affect; unintended preschoolers score lower on a measure of receptive vocabulary.
128 citations
TL;DR: Multivariate analyses indicate that births to unmarried women--whether formerly married or never-married--are less likely than those to married women to be wanted and more likely to be mistimed.
Abstract: The National Maternal and Infant Health Survey provides new data on the prevalence of unintended childbearing in the United States: Thirty-six percent of births in 1988 were mistimed and 7% were unwanted, while 57% were intended. Although the level of unintended childbearing is high in almost all socioeconomic subgroups of women, the proportion of births that were mistimed or unwanted was 50% or more among age-groups 15-17 (78%), 18-19 (68%) and 20-24 (50%), and among never-married women (73%), formerly married women (62%), black women (66%), women living below the federal poverty level (64%) or at 100-149% of the poverty level (52%), women with less than 12 years of education (58%) and women who already had two children (53%) or three or more children (60%). Multivariate analyses indicate that births to unmarried women--whether formerly married or never-married--are less likely than those to married women to be wanted and more likely to be mistimed. Poverty status has no independent effect on the odds that a birth is unwanted or on the odds that a birth to an unmarried woman is mistimed. Among currently married women, those who are poorer are more likely than women above 150% of the poverty level to have a mistimed birth. Black women are more likely than either Hispanic or white women to report a birth as unwanted and are more likely than white women to say a wanted birth was mistimed.
108 citations
TL;DR: Although abortion services are readily available in large urban areas to those able to pay, a 1993 survey of U.S. abortion providers shows that access to service is still problematic for many women because of barriers related to distance, gestation limits, costs and harassment.
Abstract: Although abortion services are readily available in large urban areas to those able to pay, a 1993 survey of U.S. abortion providers shows that access to service is still problematic for many women because of barriers related to distance, gestation limits, costs and harassment. Among women who have nonhospital abortions, an estimated 24% travel at least 50 miles from their home to the abortion facility. Although 98% of providers will perform abortions at eight weeks after the last menstrual period, only 48% will perform abortions at 13 weeks and 13% at 21 weeks. Half of nonhospital abortion providers estimate that more than four days elapse on average between their patients' first telephone contact and the date of the procedure; one in seven say that more than one week elapses. Most women are able to obtain abortion services in one visit to a clinic. The average woman having a first-trimester nonhospital abortion with local anesthesia paid $296 for the procedure in 1993, up from $251 in 1989. On average, nonhospital facilities charged $604 at 16 weeks of gestation and $1,067 at 20 weeks. Eighty-six percent of nonhospital facilities providing 400 or more abortions in 1992 were the targets of antiabortion harassment. Picketing at facilities and the homes of staff members, vandalism and chemical attacks increased significantly between 1988 and 1992, but the incidence of bomb threats decreased.
103 citations
TL;DR: Logistic regression analyses show that positive attitudes toward safer sex, ever having refused sex without a condom and believing in condom efficacy all significantly predicted use of the condom with another method.
Abstract: Data from a street survey conducted among 717 women aged 17-35 in two inner-city Baltimore communities in 1991-1992 indicate that 17% of the entire sample, 38% of women using the pill and 11% of users of methods other than the pill used a condom in addition to another method the last time they had intercourse. Although adolescents reported the highest rate of combined condom and pill use (22% of 17-19-year-olds), condom use was significantly associated with pill use among adult women (odds ratio of 1.57) but not among adolescents (odds ratio of 1.03). Condom use was negatively associated with use of methods such as the diaphragm, the IUD, the implant and the sponge (odds ratio of 0.21) among both adolescents and adults. Logistic regression analyses show that positive attitudes toward safer sex, ever having refused sex without a condom and believing in condom efficacy all significantly predicted use of the condom with another method. Having ever been tested for HIV was negatively related to combined use, while behavioral risk factors showed no association.
79 citations
TL;DR: According to a 1991 study of sexual behavior based on a random sample of heterosexual undergraduates at a Midwestern university, 80% of the males and 73% ofThe females had experienced vaginal or anal intercourse.
Abstract: According to a 1991 study of sexual behavior based on a random sample of heterosexual undergraduates at a Midwestern university, 80% of the males and 73% of the females had experienced vaginal or anal intercourse. The average age at first vaginal intercourse was 17.2 years for both sexes. Seventeen percent of the sexually experienced males and 18% of the sexually experienced females had engaged in heterosexual anal intercourse; among these respondents, the average age at first anal intercourse was 20.3 for males and 19.1 for females. Although less than four years, on average, had elapsed since the respondents had first had vaginal intercourse, males reported an average of 8.0 lifetime vaginal-sex partners and females reported an average of 6.1. Overall, the findings from this random sample of students are similar to those from a 1988 convenience sample of the same college population.
TL;DR: An analysis using case reports, laboratory records of tests for C. trachomatis, and Hospital Discharge Summary data shows that, following implementation of a chlamydia prevention program in Wisconsin in 1985, statewide declines were observed in prevalence, incidence and complications of infection.
Abstract: An analysis using case reports, laboratory records of tests for C. trachomatis, and Hospital Discharge Summary data shows that, following implementation of a chlamydia prevention program in Wisconsin in 1985, statewide declines were observed in prevalence, incidence and complications of infection. In 1990, prevalence rates among teenage women peaked at 2,794 infections per 100,000 15-19-year-old females. Between 1987 and 1991 (a period of stable testing volume), the proportion of positive tests decreased in all age-groups for females (by 29-41%) and males (by 10-14%), and the incidence of new infections in women decreased in clinic populations by 27%-50%. Between 1986 and 1991, hospitalization rates declined by 33% for pelvic inflammatory disease and by 20% for ectopic pregnancy.
TL;DR: Multivariate analysis of data from two nationally representative surveys of adult men and women indicates that the likelihood of a self-reported sexually transmitted disease (STD) infection varies by gender, race and socioeconomic status, even after accounting for differences in sexual and health care behaviors.
Abstract: derived from a variety of sources suggest that 3-4 million persons are infected with chlamydia annually.3 Women bear disproportionate consequences from gonorrhea and chlamydia because of the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which often leads to such adverse sequelae as infertility and ectopic pregnancy. Some bacterial or viral STDs may affect infants either in utero or at birth. Additionally, other population subgroups are at increased risk of STDs. STD infection is more prevalent among blacks than among members of other racial groups, and is more common among those of low socioeconomic status than among those of higher status.4 Race and socioeconomic status may be different manifestations of the same phenomenon, but this supposition has not been unequivocally demonstrated. In any case, these two characteristics are clearly related to adverse health conditions, including cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, as well as STDs and AIDS.5
TL;DR: An acceptability study of the female condom undertaken at New York's Harlem Hospital between August 1993 and February 1994 enrolled 52 women aged 18-57, 41 of whom (79%) used theFemale condom at least once, and seventy-three percent of respondents and 44% of their partners preferred the female condoms to the male condom.
Abstract: 155 Such information will help shape training programs for counselors, outreach efforts into various communities and counseling messages for women. Furthermore, user feedback will indicate appropriate directions for the development of alternative protective methods for women. We conducted a trial of the acceptability of the female condom, employing a novel counseling approach, among women who were staff members or patients at an inner-city hospital. We report here the reactions of users and their partners during the first few months of female condom use.
TL;DR: According to a 1991-1992 survey of program directors of obstetrics and gynecology residency programs in the United States, the overall percentage of programs providing any training in first-trimester or second- Trimester abortion has changed very little.
Abstract: According to a 1991-1992 survey of program directors of obstetrics and gynecology residency programs in the United States, the overall percentage of programs providing any training in first-trimester (70%) or second-trimester abortion (66%) has changed very little since 1985. However, the proportion of programs providing routine training in first-trimester abortion decreased from 23% in 1985 to 12% in 1991-1992, and the proportion providing routine training in second-trimester abortion declined from 21% to 7%. The majority of the programs that dropped routine abortion training continued to offer optional training, but residents in programs with optional training were less likely to receive training. More than 80% of programs in private, non-Catholic hospitals and public hospitals provided some form of abortion training in 1991-1992, but only 6% of programs in Catholic hospitals and no military programs did so. In 45% of programs offering abortion training, residents performed one or fewer abortions per week.
TL;DR: An analysis of the educational attainment of more than 10,000 members of the 1966 cohort of births in Northern Finland found that 25% of the young men born following an unwanted pregnancy failed to attain any more education than the nine years of compulsory schooling.
Abstract: An analysis of the educational attainment of more than 10000 members of the 1966 cohort of births in Northern Finland found that 25% of the young men born following an unwanted pregnancy failed to attain any more education than the nine years of compulsory schooling compared with 18% of those born as a result of a mistimed pregnancy and 14% from a wanted one. The comparable proportions for women in the cohort were 19% 13% and 9% respectively. A binary regression analysis that controlled for family background variables indicates that unwantedness increased the risk that men would not go on to upper secondary school by 6.0 percentage points and that women would not by 6.3 percentage points. The statistical interaction between large family size and unwantedness showed an increased risk of low educational attainment among the young men; neither large family size nor other family background variables could explain the association between unwantedness at birth and comparatively little schooling among the women. (authors)
TL;DR: Data for 1993 indicate that the state's new parental consent requirement had little effect on the abortion rate among minors, but the ratio of minors to adults who sought abortions in the state declined by 13%, a decrease offset by a 32% increase in the number of minors who obtained abortions out of state.
Abstract: Mississippi data for 1993 indicate that the state's new parental consent requirement had little effect on the abortion rate among minors. In a comparison of Mississippi residents who had abortions during the five months before and the six months after the law went into effect, the ratio of minors to adults who sought abortions in the state declined by 13%, a decrease offset by a 32% increase in the ratio of minors to adults who obtained abortions out of state. There was also a 28% drop in the ratio of minors to adults from other states who had abortions in Mississippi. The parental consent requirement increased by 19% the ratio of minors to adults who obtained their procedure after 12 weeks of gestation.
TL;DR: Results from focus-group discussions with a population of university students who have convenient access to emergency contraceptive pills show that basic awareness about this method is high, although specific knowledge on appropriate use, such as the time limit for use, the level of effectiveness and the possible side effects is lacking.
Abstract: Results from focus-group discussions with a population of university students who have convenient access to emergency contraceptive pills show that basic awareness about this method is high, although specific knowledge on appropriate use, such as the time limit for use, the level of effectiveness and the possible side effects, is lacking. Approval of the method is widespread among both female and male students, although students did voice anxieties about irresponsible use and the lack of protection against the human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted diseases. Many of their concerns stem from incomplete information about how the regimen works. Students noted how rarely emergency contraceptive pills are discussed, and were curious to know more. They asked for routine education on the method, as well as more general discussion.
TL;DR: Condom use at last intercourse and communications about condom use were less frequent among women with an exclusive, risky partner than among those with multiple partners; attitudinal barriers to condom use did not vary, however, by the characteristics of women's relationships.
Abstract: A sample of 671 predominantly single, young black women living in 10 low-income housing developments in five cities completed an anonymous questionnaire assessing factors related to their risk of contracting the human immunodeficiency virus, including their sexual behavior and condom use, and their partners' risk-related behaviors. In the two months before the 1994 survey, 17% of the women had sex with multiple partners and 22% had an exclusive partner who either had had other sexual partners in the past year or had a history of injection drug use; 40% had an exclusive partner who they believed had not engaged in these risky behaviors. During the same interval, 26% of women who had multiple partners received treatment for a sexually transmitted disease, compared with 9-11% of those who had an exclusive relationship. Condom use at last intercourse and communications about condom use were less frequent among women with an exclusive, risky partner than among those with multiple partners; attitudinal barriers to condom use did not vary, however, by the characteristics of women's relationships.
TL;DR: Data from the 1991 National Survey of Men indicate that about 12% of married men aged 20-39 have had a vasectomy and about 13% are married to a woman who is sterilized, and Multivariate analyses indicate that the likelihood of sterilization rises with husband's age, wife's Age, duration of marriage and number of children.
Abstract: Data from the 1991 National Survey of Men indicate that about 12% of married men aged 20-39 have had a vasectomy and about 13% are married to a woman who is sterilized. Multivariate analyses indicate that the likelihood of sterilization rises with husband's age, wife's age, duration of marriage and number of children. Black couples are significantly less likely than white couples to rely on sterilization, and interracial couples are less likely than same-race couples to be sterilized. The likelihood of reliance on vasectomy rather than tubal ligation also rises with husband's age, while black men are significantly less likely than white men to elect male over female sterilization. Use of male sterilization is strongly associated with having had a recent contraceptive failure while using a male method.
TL;DR: Repeat-abortion patients were significantly more likely than first-time patients to have been using a contraceptive method at the time of conception and more likely to say they always or almost always used a method.
Abstract: One-third (34%) of 2,001 women who sought an abortion in 1991-1992 in Wichita, Kansas, were repeat-abortion patients. Compared with first-time abortion patients, repeat-abortion patients were significantly older, more often black, and younger at their first pregnancy (p < .001). The two groups did not vary significantly by income or age at first intercourse. However, repeat-abortion patients were significantly more likely than first-time patients to have been using a contraceptive method at the time of conception (65% compared with 59%) and more likely to say they always or almost always used a method (63% and 53%, respectively). More than 40% of women in each group reported they had no personal physician. Further, 34% of repeat-abortion patients said they had no follow-up examination after their previous abortion, and 28% said they received no contraceptive counseling. Only half of women whose pregnancy was confirmed by their personal physician obtained an abortion referral from that physician.
TL;DR: It is suggested that while community family planning clinics may provide effective services to the teenagers who seek them out, they may not be the most effective strategy for decreasing rates of pregnancy and childbearing in the overall teenage population.
Abstract: In an assessment conducted 30 months after a Philadelphia-area project increased the resources that community family planning agencies devoted to teenage services, teenagers in targeted communities showed no generalized improvement in rates of pregnancy and childbearing, in knowledge or use of clinic services, or in attitudes toward contraception compared with those of teenagers in the entire city. Samples of adolescents aged 14-18 from the clinics' catchment areas and from the entire city were interviewed in mid-1988, when the project's activities began, and 2.5 years later. The results suggest that while community family planning clinics may provide effective services to the teenagers who seek them out, they may not be the most effective strategy for decreasing rates of pregnancy and childbearing in the overall teenage population.
TL;DR: Testosterone enanthate demonstrated its potential application as a hormonal method of contraception for men, but the frequent injections required over the course of 3-4 months to achieve oligozoospermia are impractical.
Abstract: Research has been conducted for more than 20 years in both developed and developing countries in the attempt to develop a safe effective and reversible hormonal method of contraception for men. A variety of hormonal compounds and contraceptive delivery systems including injections pills implants and patches are therefore currently being investigated. Limited funding and a lack of commercial interest in regulating male fertility have however slowed progress. It seems that pharmaceutical companies doubt the existence of a market for hormonal contraceptives for men and fear the potential for litigation. Clinical trials supported by the World Health Organization of a hormonal method have nonetheless yielded encouraging results. One multicenter study injected men weekly with testosterone enanthate to induce azoospermia. A second study investigated whether the state of complete azoospermia induced by the injections was necessary for contraceptive efficacy. Testosterone enanthate demonstrated its potential application as a hormonal method of contraception for men but the frequent injections required over the course of 3-4 months to achieve oligozoospermia are impractical. In addition above normal levels of testosterone result immediately after injection. Testosterone enanthate in future trials will be combined with another hormone to shorten the time needed to achieve a contraceptive effect or a new formulation which requires less frequent injections and does not produce a physiological peak. A newly formulated product could be ready for introductory trials by 2000. The author presents information from focus group discussions and questionnaires completed by men who volunteered for the trials. Their feedback adds to the limited body of evidence indicating the potential acceptance of a hormonal method of contraception for men.
TL;DR: A 1991 study of 115 internal medicine and 28 family practice residents at a large inner-city public hospital finds that both groups would perform poorly in providing preconception counseling to women of reproductive age.
Abstract: A 1991 study of 115 internal medicine and 28 family practice residents at a large inner-city public hospital finds that both groups would perform poorly in providing preconception counseling to women of reproductive age. More than 40% of residents failed to indicate that they would provide a healthy woman with information on rubella immunization and family planning or counseling on sexually transmitted diseases and safer sex. When counseling a diabetic woman seeking pregnancy, 74% would not have discussed congenital anomalies with her and 45% would not have considered discontinuing oral hypoglycemics if she became pregnant. Furthermore, 58% would have neglected to review or change hypertension medications in a newly diagnosed pregnant woman. Although both internal medicine and family practice residents had positive attitudes toward offering preconception care, family practice residents had significantly higher attitude scores. No clear improvement was found in patient management, attitude or knowledge scores as residents progressed from their first to their third year of training.
TL;DR: Using a survey of family planning clinics in the continental United States that received Title X funding conducted by The Urban Institute in 1993, those clinics were identified that had made substantial efforts to serve male clients.
Abstract: Using a survey of family planning clinics in the continental United States that received Title X funding conducted by The Urban Institute in 1993 those clinics were identified that had made substantial efforts to serve male clients The final sample size was 567 clinics 10% of their clients were men and 31% reported that their male clientele had increased in the previous 5 years During January through March 1995 follow-up telephone interviews were conducted with 25 selected clinics that reported a 10% male share of clients The clinics were classified into 5 types: 1) 7 clinics with a family planning focus beginning to provide primary care to attract more men; 2) 7 clinics with a family planning focus using community outreach and the partners of female clients to recruit men for clinic services; 3) 6 primary health care clinics beginning to place more emphasis on male reproductive health; 4) 3 hospital-based clinics providing comprehensive and reproductive health care for young men; and 5) 2 school-based clinics providing sports physicals primary health care and reproductive health services In Type 1 clinics males made up 10-40% of clients They also screened for testicular cancer and provided infertility mental health and nutrition counseling services Type 2 clinics had an average of 10% male clients and offered male infertility services nutrition counseling and specific STD and HIV services for males in the Hispanic and immigrant communities Type 3 clinics promoted the male role in family planning decision making and STD prevention A substantial proportion of the clientele was low-income males but men who came for vasectomies tended to have higher incomes Type 4 clinics catered to 20-40% male clients with outreach programs for gay minority men and sessions on stopping domestic violence male role in family planning and responsible parenthood Type 5 clinics had 40-45% males and provided mental health counseling HIV risk assessment and screening for testicular cancer
TL;DR: Nearly two-thirds of 73 women aged 18-34 who participated in focus groups on medical abortion conducted in three cities had heard about this new abortion method, but only a few could describe it accurately and cited its potential advantages over vacuum aspiration.
Abstract: Nearly two-thirds of 73 women aged 18-34 who participated in focus groups on medical abortion conducted in three cities had heard about this new abortion method, but only a few could describe it accurately. Once the method was described to them, they cited its potential advantages over vacuum aspiration as being fewer major complications, the absence of surgery, a greater "naturalness," and its use earlier in pregnancy. Women listed as disadvantages the multiple visits needed for medical abortion, the unknown aspects of the new technology, especially regarding the expulsion of the conceptus, and concern that mifepristone would make an abortion too easy and lead some women to take the decision lightly. More than one-third of discussants said they would choose mifepristone if the method were available.
TL;DR: In 1994, US state legislators considered 436 bills related to reproductive health issues and approved 19, of which five were later vetoed, and states considered and enacted administrative policy changes on these issues.
Abstract: In 1994, several significant, encouraging trends concerning reproductive health issues unfolded at the state level, as policymakers considered hundreds of legislative and administrative proposals. State legislators across the country were inundated with more than 436 bills related to abortion, family planning, teenage pregnancy and infertility.* By the end of the year, 19 of these bills had been approved, with five later vetoed. In addition, state officials weighed administrative policy changes, initiated at both the federal and state level, on fertility-related matters. While many of these changes were implemented, others are awaiting final action in 1995. A comprehensive examination of the various activities reveals the import state involvement has in the development of reproductive health policy and the provision of services.
TL;DR: Factors that significantly predicted coupon redemption included the extent of acculturation and age, with those who were older and less acculturated more likely to do so and a perception of being at high STD risk and a favorable attitude about condoms.
Abstract: Data from a survey of 691 men and women who made patient visits to an inner-city, sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic and were given coupons to redeem for condoms at a neighborhood pharmacy show that only 22% of the sample did so. Gender, ethnicity, marital status and education were not significant predictors of whether study participants redeemed their coupons. Factors that significantly predicted coupon redemption included the extent of acculturation and age, with those who were older and less acculturated more likely to do so. Other significant factors were having a primary sexual partner and having had more than one sexual partner in the last month; having ever had an STD was negatively associated with coupon redemption. A perception of being at high STD risk and a favorable attitude about condoms also significantly predicted condom acquisition. All these variables, except for attitude toward condoms and a history of an STD, remained significant when entered into a logistic regression controlling for the influence of all independently significant predictors.
TL;DR: An experimental school-based AIDS risk-reduction program had a positive impact on students' attitudes toward people with AIDS and on their degree of comfort about discussing with their parents such issues as drug use and sexuality.
Abstract: As part of an evaluation of an experimental school-based AIDS risk-reduction program, data from 2,392 middle-school students in 15 high-risk school districts and from 1,627 of their parents were compared to examine how young adolescents and their parents differ with respect to AIDs-related knowledge and attitudes. At the time of the seventh-grade pretest, parents knew significantly more about AIDS than their children did. At the eighth-grade posttest, students who participated in the program knew either more than or at least as much as their parents in several subject areas, while among those not exposed to the program, parents still knew more than their children in most areas. The intervention had a positive impact on students' attitudes toward people with AIDS and on their degree of comfort about discussing with their parents such issues as drug use and sexuality.
TL;DR: This special report details the status of family caps in Congress and the states as of July 1, 1995, and examines plans for and potential barriers to evaluating their impact and relies on state documents requesting the federal government's permission to impose a family cap and federal documents stipulating the terms and conditions under which a cap may be implemented.
Abstract: Family Planning Perspectives standing federal requirement that states provide family planning services to AFDC recipients. Such services are estimated to prevent nearly 300,000 pregnancies annually to women on welfare.* In addition, opponents assert, the incremental increases that accompany the birth of additional children—$24–147, depending on the state and the birth order4— are too small to cover the cost of caring for a new baby and therefore are not an incentive to have another birth. But, they add, the loss of those extra payments is almost certain to result in greater hardship for poor families already striving to obtain such basic necessities as shelter and food. Moreover, many prochoice activists and antiabortion advocates share a concern that the family cap will lead to more abortions among welfare recipients faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Right-to-life groups oppose the cap because they find abortion abhorrent, while prochoice groups believe the cap violates the reproductive rights of women on welfare. This special report details the status of family caps in Congress and the states as of July 1, 1995, and examines plans for and potential barriers to evaluating their impact. It relies on state documents requesting the federal government’s permission to impose a family cap and federal documents stipulating the terms and conditions under which a cap may be implemented,5 as well as on personal interviews with individuals familiar with the implementation or evaluation of the family cap in various states.