Unintended pregnancy among unmarried sexually active female college students in the US

The number of unintended pregnancies has declined drastically over the past two decades among U.S. teens, but has slightly increased among women in their 20s, especially women aged 20-24 years. Moreover, while risk and protective factors for unintended pregnancy are known for U.S. teens, little research has investigated these factors among college women. Cross-sectional data from the Spring 2006 National College Health Assessment were utilized to identify factors associated with an unintended pregnancy (during the past year) among 24,726 unmarried, non-international, sexually active females of traditional college age (18-24 years). Bivariate comparisons were examined and more sophisticated associations were assessed in multivariate logistic regression models. Significant differences in the percent of unintended pregnancies were reported among sub-groups of college women. For example, the percentage of unintended pregnancies was 1.4% among students who used a condom the last time they had vaginal intercourse, but 8.9% among students who used “nothing” (last vaginal intercourse). Race/ethnicity, relationship status, health insurance status, GPA, number of hours worked per week, history of recent STD, recent substance use, having unprotected sex as a consequence of drinking alcohol, being in a(n) emotionally, physically and/or sexually abusive relationship (past year), being a member of a sorority, and use/non-use of specific contraceptive methods were significantly associated with an unintended pregnancy (past year). Results will be crucial to sexual health programs targeting unmarried sexually active female college students in the U.S. Additional research is needed to understand factors underlying the higher rates of unintended pregnancy among sub-groups of college women.