An assessment of contraceptive need in the inner city.

ABSTRACT

PIP: A survey of low-income areas of Los Angeles County indicates that 41% of nonsterile women in their childbearing years who had not made a family planning (FP) visit in 3 years were using some means of births control, 21% were not, 25% were not sexually active and 13% were pregnant or trying to become pregnant. Given than approximately 10% of the respondents were using unreliable means of contraception, at least 1/3 of respondents were in need of effective contraception. This proportion corresponds to the % of respondents who expressed a desire to receive FP care from a doctor or clinic (34%). The % of women who were at risk of unwanted pregnancy, but not using any method of contraception was greatest among those with incomes below poverty level and among black and hispanic women. A comparison of survey respondents to a parallel sample of low-income women who had made a FP visit shows that those who utilized formal FP services were more likely than those who did not to be married (40% vs. 32%) and to belong to a health maintenance organization (24% bs. 14%), whereas, nonusers of formal FP services were slightly older, on average (29.6 vs. 28 years) and more likely to have other types of private health insurance (47% vs. 25%). In addition, 95% of those who were at risk of unintended pregnancy and who had made a FP visit were practicing contraception compared with 67% of women at risk of unintended pregnancy who had not made a visit. (Author's modified).