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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Lauren Ralph, BS¹, M. Antonia Biggs, PhD¹, Claire Brindis, DrPH¹, Sandy Navarro², and Gorette Amaral, MHS¹. (1) Bixby Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 265, San Francisco, CA 94143, 415-476-2317, lauren.ralph@ucsf.edu, (2) California Department of Health Services Office of Family Planning, Bixby Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy, PO Box 997413 MS 8400, Sacramento, CA 95899

Historically, family planning programs have focused on the reproductive health needs of females. In recent years, increased attention has been devoted to the male partner's role in contraceptive decision making and use. As such, the need to identify how males utilize family planning/reproductive health (FPRH) services and how providers can adapt their services to meet the needs of male clients has emerged. California and its state family planning program, Family PACT, which served 200,000 male clients in FY 03/04, provides a unique opportunity to learn about male clients' experiences accessing family planning services and providers' experiences in serving males. In FY 03/04, males represented 11% of Family PACT clients. Male clients were primarily Latino (64%), Spanish-speaking (51%), and had incomes that were at 0 to 50% of the federal poverty level (41%). Compared with female clients, males were more likely to be older and report smaller family sizes. Further, males utilized private sector providers (55% v. 35%) and displayed much lower retention rates than females (15% v. 46%). Surveys of Family PACT providers reveal that a variety of methods are used to promote male utilization of services, including having male staff (19.1%), offering services specifically for males (14.3%), and conducting active marketing and outreach to males (13.2%). The Family PACT Program has made a tremendous contribution to improving access to FPRH services for males in California. Several key program features could be applied to other programs across the nation in order to further increase males' use of FPRH services.

Learning Objectives: