title: Rethinking unmet need: Determinants of contraceptive use in Santiago, the Dominican Republic.
abstract: Inadequate access to contraceptives is often considered the primary source of unmet need among women who desire to prevent pregnancy. This study evaluates two potential determinants of contraceptive use among Dominican women: (1) perceived access to family planning and (2) perceived personal reproductive control, a measure based in psychological theories of locus of control. Sexually active women aged 18-45 who did not desire fertility were surveyed to assess influences on contraceptive use. In-depth interviews were conducted among a subset of participants to contextualise survey results. Fewer than half (49%) of the 80 survey respondents had used contraception in the last 3 months. Higher personal reproductive control was significantly related to contraceptive use (aOR 1.18, 95% CI 1.04-1.34), however, higher perceived access to contraceptives was not (aOR 1.09, 95% CI 0.97-1.23). Male partner influence was identified as a barrier to contraceptive use. In this population, high personal reproductive control is a better predictor of contraceptive use than perceived access.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Brown University.
authors.forename: R Lipinsky
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: DeGette
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jennings
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Goyal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004293:Dominican Republic; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000600:supply & distribution; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D017533:Marital Status; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Contraception; contraceptive behaviour; developing country; family planning; fertility control; reproductive control