Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Likelihood of Emergency Contraception Use Among African-American Women at Risk of Adverse Birth Outcomes

  • Published:
Maternal and Child Health Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Nearly a half million infants in the United States are born preterm or with low birth weight each year. Providing women who have had a prior adverse birth outcome with access to family planning can help reduce the incidence of subsequent high-risk pregnancies and adverse outcomes. One effective option to prevent unintended pregnancy for women with a prior adverse birth outcome who either do not use contraception consistently or whose contraception fails is emergency contraception (EC). The purpose of our study was to understand willingness to use EC among African-American women who recently had an adverse birth outcome. The Healthy Births Healthy Communities (HBHC) Interconceptional Care Project (ICCP) targeted high-risk African-American women from two low-income Chicago neighborhoods who recently had an adverse birth outcome. The aim of HBHC ICCP was to improve participants’ future birth outcomes by providing medical and social services and helping women to clarify their reproductive life goals. Information about participants’ pregnancy intentions and willingness to use EC was measured in an interview shortly after enrollment into the study. Over 90 % of the 131 women in our study either did not want to become pregnant or did not know if they wanted to become pregnant within the next 2 years. These women had 4.4 times higher odds of reporting willingness to use EC as compared to women who reported a desire to become pregnant within the next 2 years (75.6 vs. 50.0 %, respectively; AOR: 4.4; 95 % CI 1.1, 17.6). EC is an essential part of the reproductive toolkit for women at high risk of adverse birth outcomes who are not intending pregnancy, along with reproductive life planning and use of effective contraception.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Preterm birth. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/MaternalInfantHealth/PretermBirth.htm.

  2. Lu, M. C., Kotelchuck, M., Culhane, J. F., Hobel, C. J., Klerman, L. V., & Thorp, J. M., Jr. (2006). Preconception care between pregnancies: The content of internatal care. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 10(5), S107–S122.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Winner, B., Peipert, J. F., Zhao, Q., et al. (2012). Effectiveness of long-acting reversible contraception. New England Journal of Medicine, 366, 1998–2007.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Jones, J., Mosher, W., & Daniels, K. (2012). Current contraceptive use in the United States, 2006–2010, and changes in patterns of use since 1995. National health statistics reports; no 60. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.

  5. Shah, P. S., Balkhair, T., Ohlsson, A., Beyene, J., Scott, F., & Frick, C. (2011). Intention to become pregnant and low birth weight and preterm birth: A systematic review. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 15(2), 205–216.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Santelli, J., Rochat, R., Hatfield-Timajchy, K., Gilbert, B. C., Curtis, K., Cabral, R., et al. (2003). The measurement and meaning of unintended pregnancy. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 35(2), 94–101.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Raymond, E. G., Trussell, J., & Polis, C. B. (2007). Population effect of increased access to emergency contraceptive pills: A systematic review. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 109, 181–188.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Baldwin, S. B., Solorio, R., Washington, D. L., Yu, H., Huan, Y. C., & Brown, E. R. (2008). Who is using emergency contraception? Awareness and use of emergency contraception among California women and teens. Women’s Health Issues, 18, 360–368.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Black, K. I., Mercer, C. H., Johnson, A. M., & Wellings, K. (2006). Sociodemographic and sexual health profile of users of emergency hormonal contraception: Data from a British probability sample survey. Contraception, 74, 309–312.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Jackson, R., Schwarz, E. B., Freedman, L., & Darney, P. (2000). Knowledge and willingness to use emergency contraception among low-income post-partum women. Contraception, 61, 351–357.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Kavanaugh, M. L., Williams, S. L., & Schwarz, E. B. (2011). Emergency contraception use and counseling after changes in United States prescription status. Fertility and Sterility, 95(8), 2578–2581.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Spence, M. R., Elgen, K. K., & Harwell, T. S. (2003). Awareness, prior use, and intent to use emergency contraception among Montana women at the time of pregnancy testing. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 7(3), 197–203.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Arnet, I., Tirri, B. F., Stutz, E. Z., Bitzer, J., & Hersberger, K. E. (2009). Emergency hormonal contraception in Switzerland: A comparison of the user profile before and three years after deregulation. The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, 14(5), 349–356.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Godfrey, E. M., Wheat, S. G., Cyrier, R., Wong, W., Trussell, J., & Schwarzf, E. B. (2010). Contraceptive needs of women seeking care from a publicly funded sexually transmitted infection clinic. Contraception, 82, 543–548.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Walker, D. M., Torres, P., Gutierrez, J. P., Flemming, K., & Bertozzi, S. M. (2004). Emergency contraception use is correlated with increased condom use among adolescents: Results from Mexico. Journal of Adolescent Health, 35, 329–334.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Whittaker, P. G., Berger, M., Armstrong, K. A., Felice, T. L., & Adams, J. (2007). Characteristics associated with emergency contraception use by family planning patients: A prospective cohort study. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 39(3), 158–166.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Handler, A., Rankin, K., Peacock, N., Townsell, S., McGlynn, A., & Issel, M. (2013). The implementation of interconception care in two community health settings: Lessons learned. American Journal of Health Promotion, 27(3), eS21–eS31.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Olszewski, J., Olszewska, H., Abacjew, A., Chmylko, L., & Gaworska-Krzeminska, A. (2007). The use of emergency contraception in young Polish women. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 86, 861–869.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Parrish, J. W., Katz, A. R., Grove, J. S., Maddock, J., & Myhre, S. (2009). Characteristics of women who sought emergency contraception at a university-based women’s health clinic. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 201, 22.e1–7.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. World Health Organization Department of Reproductive Health and Research (WHO/RHR) and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP), Knowledge for Health Project. (2011). Family planning: A global handbook for providers (2011 update). Baltimore and Geneva: CCP and WHO.

  21. Lakha, F., & Glasier, A. (2006). Unintended pregnancy and use of emergency contraception among a large cohort of women attending for antenatal care or abortion in Scotland. Lancet, 368, 1782–1787.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Kim, M. S., & Hunter, J. E. (1993). Relationships among attitudes, behavioral intentions, and behavior: A meta-analysis of past research, part 2. Communication Research, 20(3), 331–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Planned Parenthood. Morning-after pill (emergency contraception). (2013). Available at http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/emergency-contraception-morning-after-pill-4363.asp.

  24. Princeton University Office of Population Research/Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. (2012). The emergency contraception website. Available at http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/ec-ACA.html.

  25. The New York Times. (2013). Judge strikes down age limits on morning-after pill. Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/06/health/judge-orders-fda-to-make-morning-after-pill-available-over-the-counter-for-all-ages.html?pagewanted=all.

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Linda Miller of Linda P. Miller & Associates, Peg Dublin RN, MPH of Access Community Health Network and Andrea McGlynn of PCC Community Wellness Center for their leadership and commitment to the ICCP Project. Some statistical guidance was provided by the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science, which is funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health (Grant UL1TR000050).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1919 W. Taylor (MC 663), Chicago, IL, 60612, USA

    Catherine E. Lind

  2. Department of Family Medicine, University of Washington, 4225 Roosevelt Way NE, Suite 308, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA

    Emily M. Godfrey

  3. School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, (MC 923), 1603 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL, 60612, USA

    Kristin M. Rankin & Arden S. Handler

Authors
  1. Catherine E. Lind
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Emily M. Godfrey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kristin M. Rankin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Arden S. Handler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Catherine E. Lind.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lind, C.E., Godfrey, E.M., Rankin, K.M. et al. Likelihood of Emergency Contraception Use Among African-American Women at Risk of Adverse Birth Outcomes. Matern Child Health J 18, 1190–1195 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-013-1349-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-013-1349-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation