Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116063

Paul G. Whittaker, DPhil¹, Matthew Berger, MA¹, Kay A. Armstrong, MS², Toni L. Felice, PhD³, and Janet Adams, PhD³. (1) Family Planning Council, 260 S. Broad St., Suite 1000, Philadelphia, PA 19102, (2) Public Health Consultant, 645 Harper Ave, Drexel Hill, PA 19026, 610-622-6480, armstrong@wharton.upenn.edu, (3) Applied Research Department, Family Health Council, Inc., 960 Penn Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Emergency contraception (EC) use is an uncommon event. Characteristics and behaviors may influence women to use EC but current events bring about actual use. An 18-month longitudinal study enrolled 1079 women, aged 15–39, from 9 publicly funded family planning clinics. In addition to intake data, they responded to monthly automated telephone surveys about recent sexual activity, sex partners, contraception use (including EC), pregnancy tests, and attitudes toward future pregnancy. Approximately half of the women attended clinics with a policy of providing EC in advance; the remainder had only emergency access to EC. Over the 18-month period, 7% of the women attending emergent clinics used EC compared to 22% attending advance clinics. Bivariate analyses of intake data suggested that women who used EC during the study were more likely to attend advance access clinics, not identify as White, feel religion is very important, not graduate from high school, have a greater estimation of their fertility and have used EC in the past. Age was not a significant factor. Multivariate logistic regression models controlled for fixed factors identified in the bivariate analyses. Results of telephone survey data from 819 women suggest that compared to non EC users, EC users were more likely to have a recent new sex partner, have had unprotected sex at least once in the past month and have more negative feelings toward becoming pregnant; main contraceptive method used was not significant. These data provide evidence for patient factors to be taken into account when implementing EC policies.

Learning Objectives:

• Assess how advance and emergency EC policies influence EC use.
• Identify fixed and variable patient factors associated with the decision to use EC.

Keywords: Contraception, Behavioral Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.