Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: The INFO Project

"Pearl" for the week of May 16, 2006

Most important reason for contraceptive choice

I’m curious to know, what is the most important reason women give in choosing a method of contraception?

Interestingly, in a recent FHI study, contraceptive effectiveness was found to be far and away the most important factor. In this convenience sample of 450 women in India and 450 in Jamaica in response to an open-ended question, 54% overall cited how well a method prevents pregnancy as the most important reason for choice. Second most common overall was how few side effects it has at 17%.

A previous study from the US also found effectiveness was the most important factor.

References:

1. Steiner MJ, Trussell J, Mehta N, Condon S, Subramaniam S, Bourne D. Communicating contraceptive effectiveness: A randomized controlled trial to inform a World Health Organization family planning handbook. A J Ob Gyn 2006; Available on Line

2. Steiner MJ, Dalebout S, Condon S, Dominik R, Trussell J. Understanding risk: a randomized controlled trial of communicating contraceptive effectiveness. Obstetrics & Gynecology 2003;102:709-17.

The "Pearls" offer answers to commonly asked questions about family planning. These "Pearls" are prepared by Dr. James D. Shelton, Senior Medical Scientist, Office of Population, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)