Family planning perspectives
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Because many teenagers and young adults fail to use condoms correctly and consistently, the number of sexual partners they have is an important risk factor for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Identifying factors that are associated with having multiple partners can help in the design of disease interventions. ⋯ The strong association between alcohol use and having multiple sexual partners underscores the need to educate young people about the effects of alcohol on partner choice and the risk of infection with sexually transmitted diseases.
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Women who rely on long-term hormonal contraception may neglect to use condoms, and thus increase their risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. ⋯ Although condom use among all women declined markedly once they initiated long-term hormonal contraception, frequency of condom use varied by subgroup and was associated with several factors. Most importantly, women with more than one sexual partner and those who received a message during counseling on the need to continue using condoms were more likely than others to use condoms in conjunction with the implant or injectable.
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The 1996 federal welfare reform law calls for the reduction of adolescent pregnancy rates through aggressive enforcement of statutory rape laws at the local and state level. Yet there are few quantitative data on district attorneys' attitudes toward enforcement and related issues. ⋯ The potential impact of statutory rape prosecution on reproductive and psychological health should be considered in each case. Educating law enforcement officials about adolescent health care issues and encouraging them to consult with professionals in health and psychological fields may help to minimize the potentially negative effects of enforcement on adolescents' reproductive health.
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With the influx of Latin American immigrants to the United States and the relatively high fertility of Hispanic women, the importance of understanding patterns of birth outcomes within the heterogeneous Hispanic community is growing. ⋯ Ethnicity and birthplace affect prenatal care and birth outcomes but are probably not as significant as racial differences. Poor outcomes without elevated newborn costs may indicate less access to high-quality neonatal care among some ethnic groups.