title: Determinants of contraceptive choice among single women in the United States.
abstract: Data from the 1983 National Survey of Unmarried Women are used to analyze characteristics that affect contraceptive decision-making among single women aged 20-29 who are exposed to the risk of pregnancy. Factors found to affect whether these women use a relatively effective method such as the pill or the IUD, use coitus-dependent methods or use no method include family structure at age 15, educational level, work status, religious affiliation, fertility relative to desired fertility, and past contraceptive failure. Bivariate analyses revealed notable differences between whites and blacks in contraceptive behavior. Multivariate analyses showed that while the decision to use a contraceptive method was somewhat affected by race, method choice was not. Overall, contraceptive decision-making was relatively unaffected by race, length of the relationship and current living arrangement.
authors.affiliation: Battelle, Human Affairs Research Centers, Health and Population Research Center, Seattle.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanfer
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Cubbins
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Brewster
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003268:Contraception Behavior; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D012494:Sampling Studies; D014481:United States