Table 1.
Participant Characteristics and Criteria for Choosing a New Contraceptive Method Selected by New–Start Contraceptive Users at Baseline, by Method
| Characteristics/Criteria | Total n(%)* | Copper IUD n(%) | LNG IUD n(%) | Implant n(%) | P-value† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Method chosen at baseline | 159(100) | 32(20.1) | 73(45.9) | 54(34.0) | |
| Age in years, mean ± SD | 26.9 ± 6.1 | 27.0 ± 6.03 | 28.1 ± 6.09 | 25.1 ± 5.82 | 0.021 |
| Highest level of education completed | 0.428 | ||||
| 11th grade or less | 5(3.3) | 6(3.3) | 1(1.5) | 3(5.8) | |
| 12th grade (completed high school or GED) | 49(32.5) | 9(30.0) | 20(29.0) | 20(38.5) | |
| Vocational/technical training | 17 (11.3) | 3(10.0) | 11(15.9) | 3(5.8) | |
| Associate degree or some college | 55(36.4) | 11(36.7) | 23(33.3) | 21(40.4) | |
| College graduate or higher | 25(16.6) | 6(20.0) | 14(20.3) | 5(9.6) | |
| Race/ethnicity | 0.078 | ||||
| Non-Hispanic white | 102(67.1) | 17(56).7 | 54(78.3) | 31(58.5) | |
| Hispanic non-white | 35(23.0) | 10(33.3) | 11(15.9) | 14(26.4) | |
| Non-Hispanic other | 15(9.9) | 3(10.0) | 4(5.8) | 8(15.1) | |
| Current employment/student status | 0.717 | ||||
| Unemployed | 33(20.8) | 6(18.8) | 14(19.2) | 13(24.1) | |
| Working full time | 80(50.3) | 17(53.1) | 36(49.3) | 27(50.0) | |
| Working part time | 30(18.9) | 4(12.5) | 15(20.6) | 11(20.4) | |
| Disabled or sick leave | 13(8.2) | 3(9.4) | 7(9.6) | 3(5.6) | |
| Retired | 3(1.9) | 2(6.3) | 1(1.4) | 0(0.0) | |
| Annual household income | 0.090 | ||||
| <$10,000 | 30(19.7) | 5(16.7) | 13(18.8) | 12(22.6) | |
| $10,000–$29,999 | 76(50.0) | 14(46.7) | 42(60.9) | 20(37.7) | |
| ≥$30,000 | 46(30.3) | 11(36.7) | 14(20.3) | 21(39.6) | |
| Relationship characteristics | |||||
| Less than 3 months | 29(21.6) | 6(21.4) | 14(22.6) | 9(20.5) | 0.319 |
| 3 months to 1 year | 40(29.9) | 12(42.9) | 14(22.6) | 14(31.8) | |
| 1–3 years | 31(23.1) | 5(17.9) | 13(21.0) | 13(29.6) | |
| More than 3 years | 34(25.4) | 5(17.9) | 21(33.9) | 8(18.2) | |
| Marital status | 0.721 | ||||
| Never married, not living with partner | 79(52.3) | 12(41.4) | 35(50.7) | 32(60.4) | |
| Cohabiting | 20(13.3) | 4(13.8) | 10 (14.5) | 6(11.3) | |
| Married | 31(20.5) | 7(24.1) | 14(20.3) | 10((18.9) | |
| Separated, divorced, or widowed | 21(13.9) | 6(20.7) | 10 (14.5) | 5(9.4) | |
| Reasons for choosing a new birth control method | |||||
| It's the most effective method | 0.712 | ||||
| Not at all important | 4(2.7) | 1(3.5) | 1(1.5) | 2(3.9) | |
| Slightly or quite important | 31(21.1) | 4(13.8) | 15(22.4) | 12(23.5) | |
| Extremely important | 112(76.2) | 24(82.8) | 51(76.1) | 37(72.6) | |
| It doesn't reduce my libido | |||||
| Not at all important | 9(6.4) | 0(0.0) | 4(6.1) | 5(10.4) | 0.554 |
| Slightly or quite important | 23(16.3) | 5(18.5) | 10(15.2) | 8(16.7) | |
| Extremely important | 109(77.3) | 22(81.5) | 52(78.8) | 35(72.9) | |
| It doesn't interrupt sex | 0.730 | ||||
| Not at all important | 6(4.0) | 0(0.0) | 4(5.9) | 2(3.9) | |
| Slightly or quite important | 34(22.8) | 7(24.1) | 17(25.0) | 10(19.2) | |
| Extremely important | 109(73.2) | 22(75.9) | 47(69.1) | 40(76.9) | |
| It is acceptable to my partner | 0.264 | ||||
| Not at all important | 36(24.3) | 6(21.4) | 14(20.6) | 16(30.8) | |
| Slightly or quite important | 55(37.2) | 7(25.0) | 28(41.2) | 20(38.5) | |
| Extremely important | 57(38.5) | 15(53.6) | 26(38.2) | 16(30.8) | |
| It doesn't contain hormones | 0.000 | ||||
| Not at all important | 39(29.1) | 2(6.9) | 20(32.3) | 17(39.5) | |
| Slightly or quite important | 60(44.8) | 6(20.7) | 32(51.6) | 22(51.2) | |
| Extremely important | 35(26.1) | 21(72.4) | 10(16.1) | 4(9.3) | |
| It's recommended by my friends | 0.251 | ||||
| Not at all important | 62(41.9) | 9(30.0) | 29(43.3) | 24(47.1) | |
| Slightly or quite important | 75(50.7) | 16(53.3) | 34(50.8) | 25(49.0) | |
| Extremely important | 11(7.4) | 5(16.7) | 4(6.0) | 2(3.9) | |
| It's in line with my religious beliefs | 0.022 | ||||
| Not at all important | 115(82.7) | 22(84.6) | 53(84.1) | 40(80.0) | |
| Slightly or quite important | 17(12.2) | 0(0.0) | 8(12.7) | 9(18.0) | |
| Extremely important | 7(5.0) | 4(15.4) | 2(3.2) | 1(2.0) |
*
Totals vary between 134 and 159 due to missing data items
†
P–values are for null hypothesis of no difference in percentage distribution (tested via Fisher’s exact test) or means (tested via F–test) between contraceptive methods groups