Structure of family planning in Samoa.
Increasing family planning acceptance and efficacy is considered a key public health issue in many Pacific island nations. To assess the structure of family planning acceptance in Samoa, structured interviews were conducted with 155 reproductive age women from seven villages in both rural and urban settings. The survey data show accord with returns on contraceptive use from Samoan clinics, and demonstrate that awareness and use of contraception have increased markedly in the previous decade but desired family size remains high in younger women. A notable feature of the Samoan women's contraceptive experience is the lack of diversity of reported contraceptive behaviours and attitudes based on age, urban versus rural residence, and education.
Brewis
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Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602-1619, United States. abrewis@arches.uga.edu
McGarvey
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ST
Tu'u'au-Potoi
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N
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003267:Contraception / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003625:Data Collection; D016656:Family Planning Policy; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008572:Menarche; D008875:Middle Aged; D010298:Parity; D012424:Rural Population; D018947:Samoa / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population