Despite clinical guidelines and national data describing the use of one contraceptive method as the best and most common way to prevent unintended pregnancy, limited evidence indicates a more complex picture of actual contraceptive practice. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted in November of 2013 with a sample of women from two cities in the United States (n = 52). The interviews ex...

CONTEXT Contraceptive discontinuation contributes to unplanned pregnancy and unwanted births, as well as increased maternal, neonatal and infant morbidity and mortality. Information on differences between women who stop using contraceptives and those who switch to another method would be useful for programs aimed at preventing unplanned pregnancies and their consequences. METHODS Data come fr...

Background & aim: AIDS is one of the major public health challenges all over the world. Perceived risk is a significant predictor of high-risk behaviors related to AIDS. Women constitute more than half of the HIV patients, and the rate of female sex workers with AIDS is more than the rest of female population. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate AIDS risk perception and its related f...

BACKGROUND Unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are important and costly public health problems in the United States resulting from unprotected sexual intercourse. Risk factors for unplanned pregnancies and STIs (poverty, low educational attainment, homelessness, substance abuse, lack of health insurance, history of an abusive environment, and practice of commercial ...

Family Planning Perspectives Family dynamics and attachment also play a role: If parents appropriately supervise and monitor their children, and if the adolescents feel connected to their parents, they are less likely to engage in sexual risk-taking. Family values about sexual behavior and contraceptive use, and family sexual behaviors, also have an impact on the adolescents’ behavior. Moreover...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Rates of adult women receiving contraceptive provision when simultaneously prescribed a known teratogen are alarmingly low. The prevalence of this behavior among pediatric providers and their adolescent patients is unknown. The objective of this study was to describe pediatric provider behaviors for prescribing teratogens concurrently with counseling, referral, and/or ...

Hispanic students are the fastest growing minority population on U.S. college campuses. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the sexual and reproductive health behaviors and outcomes between Hispanic and nonHispanic White college students. Analyses utilized data from 15,518 nonmarried undergraduates (aged 18-24 years) responding to the Fall 2009 American College Health Associ...

CONTEXT Knowledge of sexual and contraceptive behaviors as risk factors for STDs is largely based on women's or men's separate reports of their attitudes and behaviors. Little research has been based on couples. METHODS Data from the 2005-2006 National Couples Survey were used to examine the sexual risk-taking behavior of 335 dating couples. Associations between each partner's characteristics...