Family planning perspectives
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Comparative Study
Measuring the extent of abortion underreporting in the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth.
Induced abortions are often severely underreported in national surveys, hampering the estimation and analysis of unintended pregnancies. To improve the level of abortion reporting, the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) incorporated new interview and self-report procedures, as well as a monetary incentive to respondents. ⋯ The usefulness of the NSFG remains extremely limited for analyses involving unintended pregnancy and abortion.
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Comparative Study
Factors influencing the delivery of abortion services in Ontario: a descriptive study.
Although Canadian women have had the right to obtain legal induced abortions for the past decade, access to the procedure is still limited and controversial in many areas. ⋯ Based upon the provision of obstetric care, many hospitals in Ontario that are capable of offering abortion services do not. Some of the reasons for this failure are related to the procedure itself, while others may be related to resource issues that affect the delivery of other medical services as well. Variation in the availability of abortions is due to a shortage of clinicians performing the procedure, and training directly influences gestational limits and procedural choices.
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Women in rural areas are highly dependent on public clinics for family planning services, yet little information has been collected on rural family planning providers, especially on their funding and operation. ⋯ Family planning clinics in rural Washington State offer an important but limited number of services. Many rural areas have no local family planning clinic. Given these clinics' reliance on federal and state funding, decreased public support might seriously impair family planning provision in rural areas.
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While making condoms available in high schools has provoked much debate, evidence on the actual effects of such programs on students' attitudes and behavior is sparse. ⋯ The condom availability program appears not to have produced an increase in sexual activity among high school students, and it appears to have led to improved condom use among males. The apparent strong effect on students' intention to use condoms and on males' use at first vaginal intercourse suggests that such programs may have a particular impact on the least sexually experienced adolescents.
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Family planning programs and policies increasingly focus on the male partner's roles and responsibilities in contraceptive decision-making and use. To effectively tailor services for males, policymakers and providers must refine their understanding of men's psychosocial and reproductive health needs. ⋯ To adequately serve young males, clinics must take into account their sexual and contraceptive histories. But screening should go beyond traditional family planning techniques to discuss how to improve communication with partners and other lifestyle issues that may interfere with consistent use.