Contraceptive Use 1

*Running Head: Current Contraceptive Use by Women

Current Contraceptive Use by Women by Race and Marital Status

Exercise #2 Problem Definition Paper: Secondary Data Tables
Eboni S. Austin
Social Work 300-01
Ms. McArthur
January 23, 2010
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Abstract

There is a rise in women in the United States that are having sex. For those who are choosing to

have sex, they use some form of contraceptive method. The tables that have been selected

provide numerical representation of those methods that the women are using. It also provides the

race and the martial status of the women. Additional tables provides data for women of various

ages, income and education level. The particular method is used to prevent the risk of

pregnancies and or the risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted infection. African American

women are prong to these situations. With proper education about safe sex, the prevention of

pregnancies and STI infections can decline.

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1. Problem Identification:

The table that was selected was titled Current Contraceptive Use by Women by

Race and Marital Status. The problem that is presented in this table is the type of

contraceptive used by women. These women came from different martial status and race.

They were White, Black or Hispanic. Their martial status was never married, currently

married or formerly married. Also, there are additional graphs that map out the income

level, education level and ages of women between the years of 1982 and 1995.

The different birth control methods are listed on the graph and the total number of

women who used each method. The graph contains data of the women who were

pregnant or seeking to become pregnant. There were data of women who chose not to use

any type of contraceptive method. Over the years, the rate of women using contraception

has declined. Also, in the 1982-1995 data tables, the ages of women using contraception

started at fifteen.

2. Problem Description:

There is an increased rate of pregnancy and STI contamination among women

who are misinformed about having safe sex. They may not receive this information at

home and it is a slight probability that it is not taught at school. Therefore, women go into

a relationship not knowing the risks of having unprotected sex. This could lead to an

increase of pregnancy rates or even the possibility of catching a STI. For those

individuals who are lucky to know about the several methods o prevent birth control and

the risk of getting a STI, they are less likely to undergo the stress of that situation.

African Americans are among the ethnic groups who are prong to circumstances

such as pregnancy and STI infection. Since they know little, they may not use a type of
 Contraceptive Use 4

contraceptive method. This may cause African Americans to be the ethnic group with the

highest case of AIDS rates. If African Americans were to be informed of the risks of

unprotected sex, the rates of the dangers would decrease. African Americans, as well as

members of other ethnic groups, may feel pressured to not use a contraceptive method.

Their partner may complain that they do not get the full feeling with using a condom.

However, it is best to be safe than to be sorry.

In Table 1, the age of women who were sexually active was between the ages of

15-44. The percentage of 15-19 year old females who were sexually active and not using

a contraception method was 9.9%. This was not a surprise because many people are

aware that teenagers do not want their parents to know they are having sex. Therefore,

they have sex with a partner who may already be experienced. The rate of African

Americans who were not using contraception was 13.6%. This was high, considering the

fact that the rate for Hispanics was 8.5% and Whites was 6.2. Over the next two years the

rates of women not using contraception declined, with Hispanics at 5.6%, Whites 5.0%

and Blacks 7.0%

I strongly believed that if more sex education classes were offered to the

individuals who decide to have sex, then the rate of pregnancy and STIs would decrease.

Most schools offer abstinence-based programs to try to convince students to not have sex

until they are ready. I believe that individuals will do what they want to do. If they chose

to have sex, then they should be aware of the choices and consequences that come with

each form of contraceptive method. It is best to have peer educators to reach out to

students because it is believed that students are more likely to take advice from

individuals of the same age, rather than an adult.

 Contraceptive Use 5

Education plays an important role in the topic of contraception. In Table 8, the

number of women who had less than eleven years of education was 4,035, 12 year of

education, 13,786, and 13 years or more education, 17,830. For those women with eleven

years or less education, only 14.3% used condoms, alone or with another method.

Compared to women with thirteen or more years of education, their rate was at 27.1%.

The rate of women who used pill and condom combined, with an education of less than

eleven years, was 0.3%. Despite their education level, women with eleven years or less

did not try to use the calendar rhythm and withdrawal, but the women with thirteen years

or more education did with a rate of 1.4%.

3. Findings:

Among the women who are having sex, Table 97 showed that 61.9 percent are

using contraception. There are 64.6 % White, 57.6% Black and 59.0% Hispanic women

using contraception. Women who have never been married have report that only 44% of

them use contraception. 72.9% of women who are married still use contraception and

64.4 % of women who were formerly married used contraception. 38.1% of women are

not using any form of contraceptive methods. Finally, 18.1% of women did not have

intercourse three months prior to the interview and the 7.4% of the nonusers had

intercourse three months before the interview.

The male condom and the pill would be thought to be the most common form of

contraception. It is distributed throughout out clinics and is sold openly in stores.

However, Table 97 shows that only 11.1% of all women use condoms. Among the races,

10.7 of Whites, 11.4% of Blacks and 10.9% of Hispanics use condoms. With the pill,

only 18.9% of all women use the pill. 22.2 Whites, 13.1% Blacks and 13.0% of Hispanics
 Contraceptive Use 6

uses the pill. With both methods, there are still 12.0% condom users and 17.2% of pill

takers who were currently married.

The most ineffective contraceptive method would be rhythm. The way this

method is used is women would try to tract their periods and one week after or one week

before their period would be considered the “safe zone.” They have unprotected sex

during these time periods. Most people would say that this method works for them,

however, everyone’s body is not the same. Table 97 reports those who feel comfortable

using rhythm. Only 0.7% of all women use calendar rhythm. 0.8% Whites, 0.3% Blacks

and 0.6% Hispanics reported using this method as well. Among the martial status, 0.2%

of never married, 1.3% married and 0.3% formerly married women use rhythm as well.

One of the risks of not using contraception is pregnancy. Some pregnancies are

planned while others are simply a mistake. This puts the individual in a tough situation

that may not want to be in at that point of their lives. Since 38.1% of all women are not

using any type of contraception, this put them in the risk of becoming pregnant. Those

who are pregnant or who are postpartum, 5.3% of women do not use contraception. Also,

1.7% Whites, 1.4% of Blacks and 1.7% of Hispanics reported to fall into this category as

well. The women who are seeking to get pregnant consist of 4.2% of all women.

In the years from 1982 to 1995, examiners looked at the parity or the number of

children that the women had and still used contraception. In 1982 (Table 6), the number

of African Americans who used condoms with one child was 6%, 10% in 1988 and 24%

in 1995. The women with two or more children ranked 4% in1982, 5% in1988 and 10%

in 1995. The percentage of women with children and taking the pill was extremely high.

In 1982, 63% of African American women used condoms, 55% in 1988 and 38% in
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1995, all had only one child. For the women with two or more children, the percentages

declined. In 1982, there was 19%, 17% in 1988 and 10% in 1995.

I believe that women with only one child may have only wanted one child. They

had the highest percentages in 1982 on Table 6. Though it declined by 25% in 1995,

more still used the pill than women with two or more children. The women with no

children were users of the pill. It is safe to assume that they may not want children or

they weren’t ready to have them at that time. The women with no children who used the

pill were 61% in 1982, 65% in 1989 and then 42% in 1995.

a. Magnitude:

Table 97 reported the response of 61,561 women in 2002. Out of this

number only 61.9% uses contraception and 38.1% does not use contraception.

With the risks they face for not using protection, many may chose abortion if they

were to become pregnant. Factors that may cause problems for people other than

the victim ma include providing health care for the woman and the child,

providing food and a source of income, if they do not have a job. Another option

could be adoption if the woman does not have the resources to have an abortion.

The child is placed in foster care until someone is willing to adopt them. The child

becomes property of the state and would have to use tax payers’ monies to take

care of the child.

For the 4.2% of women who are seeking to become pregnant may

encounter a situation that is totally different. The women and her mate may be

planning to start a family. These are the individuals who usually have all of their

resources intact and have a steady income. They are expecting the arrival of the
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child, therefore it is not a surprise 6.9% of married women were seeking

pregnancy. The child that will be brought into the world would have to have both

parents available to them. This minimizes the chances of the couple needing help

from the government.

Another burden that is placed on others for the woman negligence of using

contraception is the risk of pregnancy, whether it was intended or not. In Table 1

(selected measures of pregnancy), the number of pregnancies in 2001 of all

women was 6,404 (in 000s). The number of intended pregnancies was 56 in 1994

and 53 in 2001. The number of unintended pregnancies was 51 in 1994 and 2001.

In 1994, 54% of unintended pregnancies ended in abortions. In 2001, the rate

dropped to 48% ending in abortions. The abortion rate during 1994 was 24% and

21% in 2001. The unintended birth rate among all women was 20% in 1994 and

22% in 2001.

In the same table, 101,000 of African American women had unintended

pregnancies in 1994. It slightly decreased in 2001 to 98,000. 45,000 of African

American women had intended pregnancies in 1994 and 43,000 in 2001. In years,

1994 and 2001, 58% of African American women who had unintended

pregnancies ended in abortions. The rate of abortion in African American women

was 51% in 1994 and 495 in 2001. The rate of unintended births among African

American women was 38% in 1994 and 35% in 2001.

b. Scope:

The Center for Disease Control reported the prevalence of contraceptive

use among women throughout the fifty states. In Table 1 (Behavioral Risk Factor
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Surveillance System), out of the sample size of Alabama, 71.2% of the women

were at risk for pregnancy. 87.6% of the women who used contraception were

also at a risk. In California, the sample size was 1,186 (numbers in 000) and

73.6% were at a risk of becoming pregnant and 85.9% of those using

contraception were at risk as well. The rates in Georgia were 74% no

contraceptive users and 83.7% of those who use contraception who were at a risk

of being pregnant. Pennsylvania was the state with the largest sample size of

3,224. Of the sample size, 77.4% were at a risk of being pregnant and those who

use contraception were at a risk of 83.8%.

In Table 3, provided by CDC, was a list of reasons why men and women

chose not to use contraception. Among the total surveyed, 7,014, 33.0% of

women wanted to become pregnant, whereas, only 23.0% wanted the same

outcome. 2.7% of women said that they did not like birth control and 1.5% of men

agreed that they did not like birth control as well. 8.6% of women and 14.3% of

men thought they could not or would not get pregnant if they did not use

contraception. 12.1% of women and 8.8% of men simply said they did not care if

they got pregnant. Finally, 13.6% of women and 20.3% either had no response or

they did not know.

With the women who use contraception and those who do not, they have

to worry about others they affect if they do or do not have health insurance. One

important aspect that was observed on Table 4 of the CDC data tables was that

38.5% of women in Alabama who used the pill had health insurance and 20.8% of

uninsured women used the pill in 2002. 13.1% of insured women used condoms,
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while 25.4% of uninsured women used condoms. In Georgia (Table 14), 36.7% of

insured women used the pill and 24.7% of uninsured women used the pill.

Women with health insurance who used condoms were at 12.5% and uninsured

women were at 17.4%.

All of these situations can place a community or a society in a hard place.

Abortion rates are increasing and the number of unintended pregnancies is rising

as well. Women without insurance does not have that many options with birth

control, therefore they use the most common method, condoms. There is not one

single method that can protect a person 100% from getting pregnant or catching a

STI. In order for the problem to be minimized, women need to be informed on

what is going on around them and the risk they put themselves in when they have

unprotected sex.

c. Changes:

The number of women who use contraception has changed over the years.

In Table 1, the percentage of women who used a method was 55.7% in 1982. In

1988, the percentage was 60.3% and 64% in 1995. In 2002, the rate declined to

61.9%. As far as race and ethnicity, the percentage of African Americans who

used contraception was 51.6% in 1982, 56.8% in 1982 and 62.1% in 1995. It

could have been assumed that the rate would continue to increase, however, in

2002 the percentage declined to 57.6%.

Table 1 also displays the changes in those women who were sexually

active and not using a method. In 1982, 13.6% of African Americans did not use

contraception. This rate was followed by a decrease to 10.3% in 1988 and 7.0% in
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1995. The rate in 2002 had a dramatic increase to 42.4% of African Americans

who do not use contraception. There were many factors that could contributed to

this such as the women who were married and ready to start a family, those who

were already pregnant or postpartum or other nonuse.

Women of different ages also suffered from some changes with the use of

contraception over the years. In Table 4, White women between the ages of 15-19

had a rate of 62% who used the pill, 56% in 1988 and 49% in 1995. African

American women had a percentage rate of 70% in 1982, 75% in 1988 and 32% in

1995. All of these women were users of the pill. With the condom contraception

method, African American women, between the ages of 15-19, had a rate of 13%

in 1982, 21% in 1988 and 38% in 1995. The older the women got, the less they

were likely to use condoms.

In Table 6, the different marital status displayed the women who use

contraception. In 1982, 25% of currently married, African American women used

the pill. This rate dropped in 1995 to 19%. This rated continued to decline in 2002

to 17.2%. In 2002, the women who had never been married and used

contraception were at a rate of 10.3%. In 1982, the rate was 58%, then 56% in

1988 and 31% in 1995. The women who were formerly married had the lowest

rate of using the pill with rates at 19% in 1982, 16% in 1988 and 13% in 1995.

The use of condoms was low among the different marital status in the year

between 1982 and 1995. This was not the case in 2002. The women was had

never been married used condoms at 10.3%, currently married 12.0% and

formerly married 8.0%.

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d. Disparities:

The first difference in the data table is the race that actually uses

contraception. In Table 97, the Whites had the highest rate of women to use

contraception at 64.6%. Next it was the Hispanics at 59.0% and then the Blacks at

57.6%. The women who did not use contraception are 42.4% Blacks, 41.0%

Hispanics and 35.4% Whites. One can observe that African Americans are the

group who are less likely to use contraception when having intercourse.

African Americans who do not use contraception had a high rate of other

nonuse. The emergency contraception pill, also known as the morning after pill,

and Today sponge were used. It is not known how many African Americans were

married and seeking pregnancy, however, 4.3% stated that they were trying to

have a baby. 10.4% of African Americans, who did not use contraception,

reported to have had sex in three months before the interview. This number was

high compared to the 7.7% of Hispanics and the 6.5% of White women.

In Table 7, the education level shows that women with less education had

a big gap in the type of contraception that they used. There were a high

percentage of women with eleven or less years of education that chose female

sterilization. The rates were 54% in 1982, 64% in 1988 and 65% in 1995. The

women with thirteen years or more education, on the other hand, had a slightly

lower rate of female sterilization. With the male condom, those with less

education did not use condoms very much. In 1982, only 4% of low educated

women used condoms and in 1995, only 14% used them. However, with females

with thirteen years or more education, in 1995, 22% used condoms. This was an
 Contraceptive Use 13

increase from the 6% using condoms in 1982. Education plays a role in which

contraception to use and how to use it. All of these findings were those of African

Americans.

In the same data table, these findings can be compared to the women who

were White. The women with eleven or less years of education had a rate of 11%

of those who used condoms in 1982. In 1995, it rose to 14%, despite having a

decrease of 6% in 1988. White women with thirteen years of education had a rate

of 15% in 1982, 17% in 1988 and 23% in 1995. The pill usage remained constant

with the White women despite their education level.

Income level also played a factor in the contraception usage during 1982-

1995. In Table 7, the African American women who were 149% or less of the

federal poverty level, 5% of them used condoms in 1982, 9% in 1988 and 15% in

1995. For those individuals who were between 150-299% of the federal poverty

level, 6% in 1982 used condoms, following by 8% in 1988 and 22% in 1995. The

women in the 300% or more federal poverty level had a rate of 7% using

condoms in 1982, 13% in 1988 and 19% in 1995. Despite the poverty level the

women fell in, majority of the African American women used the pill with an

average rate of 40%.

4. Data Tables:
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References

Center for Disease Control. November 18, 2005. “Prevalence of contraceptive use among

women, by area, (Table) 1. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System: 2002.”

Retrieved January 27, 2010.

(http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5406a1.htm)

Center for Disease Control. November 18, 2005. “Percentage of persons not using birth

control, (Table) 3. By main reason for not doing so and sex: 2002.”

Retrieved January 27, 2010.

(http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5406a1.htm)

Center for Disease Control. November 18, 2005. “Prevalence of use of a specific birth

control method among persons of reproductive age, (Table) 4. By sex and selected

characteristics, Alabama: 2002.” Retrieved January 27, 2010.

(http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5406a1.htm)

Center for Disease Control. November 18, 2005. “Prevalence of use of a specific birth

control method among persons of reproductive age, (Table) 14. By sex and

selected characteristics, Georgia: 2002.” Retrieved January 27, 2010.

(http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5406a1.htm)

Piccinino, L., & Mosher, W. (1998). Trends in Contraceptive Use in the United States: 1

982-1995. Family Planning Perspectives, 30(1), 5. Retrieved from

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3000498.pdf

Piccinino, L., & Mosher, W. (1998). Trends in Contraceptive Use in the United States: 1

982-1995. Family Planning Perspectives, 30(1), 6. Retrieved from

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3000498.pdf
 Contraceptive Use 15

Piccinino, L., & Mosher, W. (1998). Trends in Contraceptive Use in the United States: 1

982-1995. Family Planning Perspectives, 30(1), 8. Retrieved from

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3000498.pdf

Piccinino, L., & Mosher, W. (1998). Trends in Contraceptive Use in the United States: 1

982-1995. Family Planning Perspectives, 30(1), 9. Retrieved from

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3000498.pdf

Piccinino, L., & Mosher, W. (1998). Trends in Contraceptive Use in the United States: 1

982-1995. Family Planning Perspectives, 30(1), 10. Retrieved from

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3000498.pdf

U.S. Census Bureau “Current Contraceptive Use by Women by Race and Martial Status:

2002.” Retrieved January 23, 2010.

(http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2010/tables/10s0097.pdf)
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