Accidents Do Happen: Emergency Contraceptives, Teen Contraceptive Use and Knowledge of Reproductive Health Services

Emergency contraception (EC) is safe and effective for teens at risk of unintended pregnancy following unprotected sexual activity, and may prevent an estimated 50% of unintended pregnancies and 70% of abortions in the U.S. Teens face many barriers in accessing EC-related information and services; thus, it is important to understand what differentiates teens who have and who have not used EC. Baseline data from California's Teen Pregnancy Prevention program evaluation were examined to profile EC users and non-users. Among 1,740 sexually active girls ages 13 to 19, 24% reported using EC. EC users were more likely to be older, report 4+ sex partners (36% vs. 22%), and know where to access reproductive health services (91% vs. 82%). Schools and community-based programs were reported by more EC users as their source of information about reproductive health services (47% vs. 40% of non-users). EC users were more knowledgeable about policies affecting teens' access to family planning care and more likely to report that it would be easy to get birth control (85% vs. 70%). This belief is consistent with the greater likelihood that EC users enrolled in California's Family PACT program (65% vs. 35% of non-users). Fewer EC users had unprotected sex at sexual debut (18% vs. 23%); they were currently more likely to use birth control pills (12% vs. 5%) and less likely to use condoms than non-users (46% vs. 52%). These findings suggest areas for improving outreach to teens who need information and services, including EC, to avoid unintended pregnancy.