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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Melanie Besculides, DrPH, Office of Family Health, New York City Department of Health, 2 Lafayette Street 18th Fl, Box 34A, New York, NY 10007 and Deborah L. Kaplan, RPA, MPH, Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health Program, New York City Department of Health, 2 Lafayette Street, 18th floor, New York, NY 10007, (212) 442-1776, mbesculi@health.nyc.gov.
Objectives: To identify the percent of women who experience an unintended pregnancy among women receiving free pregnancy tests at New York City Department of Health field sites located in low-income areas, and to examine the characteristics of these women. Methods: Data from five Department of Health field sites from July 1, 1998 to June 30, 2001 were analyzed. Women were asked whether they "planned to become pregnant at this time" prior to receiving their pregnancy test results. The study examined the association between pregnancy intendedness and race/ethnicity, age, number of previous pregnancies, marital status, insurance status, history of family planning use, and frequency of family planning use at the time of the pregnancy test. Results: Of the 21,720 women who had a pregnancy test during the three-year period, 10,287 (47%) were pregnant. Of the pregnant women, 81 percent were not planning to become pregnant at the time. Women with unintended pregnancies were more likely to be black non-Hispanic, young, unmarried, have health insurance or Medicaid, have a history of family planning use, and to always or sometimes use a family planning method. Conclusion: The large percentage of women with unintended pregnancies in this study compared to the national average of 50% suggests that national statistics may not easily apply to low-income women in urban settings. There may be a need for more effective family planning services in the city. The results also imply that the time at which questions related to pregnancy planning are asked may affect response to questions on intent of pregnancy.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Urban Women's Health Issues, Pregnancy
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.