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  • Title: Contraception and adolescent pregnancy.
    Author: Burbach CA.
    Journal: JOGN Nurs; 1980; 9(5):319-23. PubMed ID: 6904658.
    Abstract:
    To identify reasons for increasing numbers of pregnant adolescents, questionnaires were distributed to teenagers with unplanned pregnancies to determine the level of their knowledge of contraception. Findings revealed that 94% of the subjects had an adequate knowledge of availability, while only 43% had an adequate overall knowledge of contraception. Subjects reported many misconceptions about contraceptives and a general lack of motivation concerning contraceptive use. Study purposes were to determine if inadequate knowledge of contraception was the cause of unplanned pregnancies among teenagers and to explore knowledge of the availability of contraceptives, sex education programs in school, timing of these programs as related to the students' ages, sources of adolescents' birth control knowledge, and perceptions of parents as sources of knowledge of contraception. Questionnaires were distributed to 51, white and black, teenagers (age range 15 to 21 years) in 7 health centers of 3 counties in a Southern urban area of about 2.5 million people. 9 of the subjects had planned pregnancies; 42 had unplanned pregnancies. 59% of the study sample had used some form of contraception. Of the 9 girls with planned pregnancies, 4 reported that they had used contraceptives and then stopped because they desired pregnancy. 53% reported that they had attended sex education classes which included contraceptive information. Most of those who had initiated contraceptive use later discontinued it while still desiring not to get pregnant. Many of the unplanned pregnancies could have been prevented by use of contraceptives, because a large number (52% of the subjects with unplanned pregnancies gave correct answers to all questions regarding at least 1 contraceptive method) of the girls had adequate knowledge of contraception. A large majority knew where to get contraceptive services. The subjects were best informed regarding the methods which are easiest to obtain--foam and condoms. Some of the girls were using contraceptive methods without a complete understanding of the mechanics of the methods. In sum, these teenagers knew about contraception but lacked the motivation to act on this knowledge.
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