title: Race-Ethnic Differences in Sexual Health Knowledge.
abstract: Despite extensive research examining the correlates of unintended fertility, it remains a puzzle as to why racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to experience an unintended birth than non-Hispanic whites. This paper focuses on sexual literacy, a potential precursor of unintended fertility. Analyses use a unique dataset of unmarried young adults aged 18-29, the 2009 Survey of Unmarried Young Adults' Contraceptive Knowledge and Practices, to examine beliefs regarding pregnancy risks, pregnancy fatalism, and contraceptive side effects. At the bivariate level, foreign-born Hispanics hold more erroneous beliefs about the risk of pregnancy than other groups, and non-Hispanic blacks are more likely to believe in contraceptive side effects than non-Hispanic whites. Both foreign-born Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to hold a fatalistic view towards pregnancy. Race-ethnic differences are attenuated for pregnancy misperceptions and fatalism in multivariate models controlling for sources of health information, sexual and fertility experiences, and sociodemographic characteristics. However, non-Hispanic blacks remain more likely than non-Hispanic whites to believe there is a high chance of reduced sexual desire and serious health consequences when using hormonal contraceptives. These differences may contribute to race-ethnic variation in contraceptive use and, ultimately, unintended fertility.
authors.affiliation: Bowling Green State University.
authors.forename: Karen Benjamin
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Guzzo
authors.forename: Sarah R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Hayford
keywords: health knowledge; race-ethnic differences; reproductive health; unintended fertility
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 2002 Jun 27;346(26):2025-32
references.pmid: 12087137
references.citation: J Marriage Fam. 1998 Feb;60(1):150-162
references.pmid: 24353350
references.citation: Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2003 Mar-Apr;35(2):94-101
references.pmid: 12729139
references.citation: MMWR Surveill Summ. 2008 Jun 6;57(4):1-131
references.pmid: 18528314
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 2008 Aug;67(3):478-86
references.pmid: 18508171
references.citation: Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2010 Sep;42(3):176-85
references.pmid: 20928956
references.citation: Contraception. 2009 Feb;79(2):91-7
references.pmid: 19135564
references.citation: Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2002 Nov-Dec;34(6):294-303
references.pmid: 12558092
references.citation: Contraception. 2004 Oct;70(4):299-305
references.pmid: 15451334
references.citation: J Community Health. 2008 Oct;33(5):357-62
references.pmid: 18498045
references.citation: J Fam Issues. 2010 Apr 1;31(4):445-474
references.pmid: 20368754
references.citation: J Adolesc Health. 2010 Oct;47(4):374-80
references.pmid: 20864007
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 1997 Nov;87(11):1773-8
references.pmid: 9366634
references.citation: Vital Health Stat 23. 2004 Dec;(24):1-48
references.pmid: 15648540
references.citation: J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2001 Nov;14(4):153-62
references.pmid: 11748010
references.citation: Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2007 Jun;39(2):116-9
references.pmid: 17565625
references.citation: Contraception. 2011 Nov;84(5):478-85
references.pmid: 22018121
references.citation: Future Child. 2010 Fall;20(2):133-55
references.pmid: 20964135
references.citation: Public Health Rep. 2003 Jul-Aug;118(4):358-65
references.pmid: 12815085
references.citation: Ethn Racial Stud. 2009 Sep 1;32(7):1143-1163
references.pmid: 20975850
references.citation: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2010 Aug;19(8):2073-9
references.pmid: 20647407
references.citation: J Biosoc Sci. 2010 May;42(3):307-23
references.pmid: 20078903
references.citation: WMJ. 2008 Nov;107(7):327-30
references.pmid: 19180871
references.citation: Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2010 Mar;202(3):214-20
references.pmid: 20207237
references.citation: Womens Health Issues. 2010 Nov-Dec;20(6):394-9
references.pmid: 21050998
references.citation: J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. 1998 Sep;19(3):117-25
references.pmid: 9844842
references.citation: Toxicol Sci. 2012 Jan;125(1):2-9
references.pmid: 21940817
references.citation: Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2012 Jun;44(2):107-16
references.pmid: 22681426
references.citation: Health Educ Behav. 2005 Aug;32(4):474-87
references.pmid: 16009745
references.citation: Arch Sex Behav. 2011 Aug;40(4):725-40
references.pmid: 20953901
references.citation: J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2009 Apr;22(2):97-104
references.pmid: 19345915
references.citation: J Sex Med. 2012 Sep;9(9):2213-23
references.pmid: 22788250
references.citation: Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2002 Oct;14(5):489-93
references.pmid: 12401976
references.citation: J Adolesc Health. 2006 Jan;38(1):72-81
references.pmid: 16387256
references.citation: Vital Health Stat 23. 2005 Dec;(25):1-160
references.pmid: 16532609