title: Contraception and Adolescent Males: An Opportunity for Providers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine young men's awareness of emergency contraception (EC) and its association with their contraceptive decision-making contributions within a relationship.
  
  
  METHODS
  A convenience sample of English-speaking male patients aged 13-24 years were surveyed regarding their childbearing intentions, contraceptive awareness (including EC), perceived contraceptive knowledge, and communication about birth control with providers and within a relationship.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An ethnically diverse sample of adolescent males was recruited with a mean age of 18.9 years. Most had previously been sexually active (75%) and felt it was important to avoid pregnancy (84%) and 61% reported ever having spoken to a health care provider about birth control (other than condoms), but only 42% had heard of EC. Participants who had heard of EC were more likely to have spoken to a health care provider about contraception in the past (51.5% vs. 29.8%; p = .050), to feel they should participate in contraceptive decisions in a relationship (97.4% vs. 76.5%; p = .006), and to have discussed contraception with a partner (76.9% vs. 29.2%; p < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Counseling young men about EC, as well as other methods of birth control, may empower them to become actively involved in contraceptive decisions within a relationship if they do not desire fatherhood.
authors.affiliation: Section of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: Molly J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.affiliation: Section of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: Marissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Section of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: Jeanelle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sheeder
authors.affiliation: Section of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado. Electronic address: paritosh.kaul@childrenscolorado.org.
authors.forename: Paritosh
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kaul
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D044363:Contraception, Postcoital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003270:Contraceptive Agents; D003657:Decision Making; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003270:Contraceptive Agents
keywords: Adolescent males; Contraceptive knowledge among adolescent males; Emergency contraception