Elsevier

Contraception

Volume 91, Issue 2, February 2015, Pages 157-163
Contraception

Original research article
Young adults’ sources of contraceptive information: variations based on demographic characteristics and sexual risk behaviors

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2014.09.012Get rights and content

Abstract

Objectives

Sexual information sources used by young adults can influence their contraceptive knowledge and behaviors, yet little is known about sources most frequently used by young adults, especially by groups with histories of sexual risk involvement.

Study design

Nationally representative data from 1800 unmarried young adults, aged 18–29 years, were analyzed to (1) examine the sources of contraceptive information most frequently used by young adults and (2) assess variations (if any) in source use based on demographic characteristics and sexual risk history (determined based on past sexual behaviors).

Results

“Doctors/nurses” was the most frequently used contraceptive information source reported by young adults. Significant variations existed in source use based on demographic characteristics and sexual risk history. Females were more likely to obtain contraceptive information from health care professionals, whereas males were more likely to report friends, partners, internet and television/radio as their frequently used source. Young adults with a sexual risk history were more likely to rely on doctors/nurses and less likely to report friends and internet as their frequently used source than those without a sexual risk history. Receiving contraceptive information from doctors/nurses was associated with greater accuracy in knowledge about contraceptive use and efficacy as compared to all other sources.

Conclusions

Young adults’ use of specific contraceptive information sources can vary based on their demographic characteristics and sexual risk involvement. Future research should identify better strategies to connect young adults, especially young males, with sexual risk histories to more reliable sources of information.

Introduction

Young adulthood is increasingly characterized by more risk and less favorable health outcomes when compared to adolescence [1]. One area in which the health status of young adults is particularly concerning is reproductive health. Nearly one third of 18–29-year-olds in the United States report little or no knowledge about condoms, and close to two thirds know little or nothing about birth control pills [2]. Contraceptive use in young adults is associated with such factors as moral attitudes about contraception [3], ambivalence about getting pregnant [4] and motivations to avoid pregnancy [5]. Not surprisingly, the rates of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are disproportionately higher among the young adult population as compared to any other sexually active age group [6], [7]. The risk is even greater among racial minority [8] and female youth [9]. These national statistics reveal critical gaps in young adults’ knowledge about contraceptives [10] and highlight the need to examine the sources from which young people are obtaining sexual health information.

Young adults learn about sex and birth control from various channels, and the quality of information they receive from these sources can directly impact their sexual knowledge, attitudes and behaviors [10], [11]. In general, obtaining contraceptive knowledge from professional sources (e.g., doctors, teachers) is associated with greater knowledge about contraceptive use and efficacy as compared to nonprofessional sources (e.g., media, peers/partners) [12]. Developing a better understanding of the sources from which young adults obtain contraceptive information would enable public health professionals and practitioners to capitalize on existing practices to improve the quality of information provided and design effective health information campaigns.

There is evidence of substantial variability in young adults’ use of specific contraceptive information sources based on background characteristics (e.g., gender, race) [13], [14]. In particular, demographic groups at highest risk for STIs and unintended pregnancies (e.g., black youth and females) are more likely to rely on nonprofessional sources, such as the internet, for obtaining contraceptive information, as compared to groups at lower risk (e.g., white youth and males) [15]. There is also a greater reliance on parents for sexual information among black youth as compared to their white peers, who tend to rely more on their friends [16]. However, much of this evidence has been gleaned from studies using small, nonrepresentative samples, focusing more broadly on sources of sexual health information. There is a dearth of research examining these variations at a national level, specifically as they relate to young adults’ sources of contraceptive information.

Past sexual risk histories of young adults may also influence when and from where they obtain contraceptive information [17]. However, most studies have examined this association in younger participants, focusing on the influence of information sources (e.g., parents) on later sexual behaviors. For instance, virgin adolescents who have engaged in discussions about contraceptives with their mothers prior to sexual debut are more likely to use condoms during their first intercourse and on subsequent occasions [18], [19]. Nevertheless, among young adults, who are typically more sexually experienced than adolescents, these relationships may operate in the opposite direction. Specifically, it is possible that past sexual histories of young adults may dictate their use of specific contraceptive information sources. In our extensive review, we found no studies examining the effects of past sexual risk involvement on young adults’ use of specific information sources.

In the present study, we use nationally representative data from 1800 young adults to answer the following questions: (1) What are the common sources of contraceptive information used by young adults, and how does that relate to their contraceptive knowledge? (2) Are demographic characteristics (gender, age, racial minority status and level of education) associated with source use? (3) Is sexual risk history associated with source use, either directly or indirectly, as a moderator of other risk factors such as demographic characteristics?

Section snippets

Material and methods

We used data from the 2009 National Survey of Reproductive and Contraceptive Knowledge conducted by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy in collaboration with the Guttmacher Institute. The survey included a nationally representative, probability-based sample of 1800 unmarried 18–29-year-olds who were contacted and interviewed over the phone. Details about the survey design and data collection have been reported previously [7]. We accounted for the complex survey design

Results

The sample comprised of 1800 unmarried young adults (M age=22.6 years; 53% males). Nearly two thirds (60%) of the sample was non-Hispanic whites, followed by 16% non-Hispanic blacks, 17% Hispanics and 7% Asians and other racial–ethnic groups. Eighty-three percent of the sample had completed high school, of which 37% had received some form of college education. Approximately half of the sample (48%) reported some form of past sexual risk involvement, the rates being similar to other national

Discussion

Our findings suggest that gender and sexual risk history are important factors to consider in understanding the use of contraceptive information sources by young adults. Overall, participants reported receiving most of their contraceptive information from doctors/nurses, with significantly more young women relying on health care professionals than men. In contrast, young males reported receiving this information from their sexual partners, friends and media sources such as the internet and

References (33)

  • S.R. Hayford et al.

    Racial and ethnic variation in unmarried young adults’ motivation to avoid pregnancy

    Perspect Sex Reprod Health

    (2013)
  • J.J. Frost et al.

    Young adults’ contraceptive knowledge, norms and attitudes: associations with risk of unintended pregnancy

    Perspect Sex Reprod Health

    (2012)
  • L.B. Finer et al.

    Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001

    Perspect Sex Reprod Health

    (2006)
  • E. Wildsmith et al.

    Sexually transmitted diseases among young adults: prevalence, perceived risk, and risk-taking behaviors

    (2010)
  • K. Kaye et al.

    The fog zone: how misperceptions, magical thinking, and ambivalence put young adults at risk for unplanned pregnancy

    (2009)
  • A. Bleakley et al.

    How sources of sexual information relate to adolescents’ beliefs about sex

    Am J Health Behav

    (2009)
  • Cited by (0)

    View full text