Numeracy, Subjective Pregnancy Risk, and Young Women’s Contraceptive Use

• In Event: 231 - Section on Sociology of Population Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 06. Contraceptive Use, Fertility, and Union Formation: New Insights

Abstract

Unintended pregnancy remains common in the United States, particularly among young adults. Many young adults wish to avoid pregnancy, but do not use contraception consistently. Recent research suggests that some young adults underestimate the cumulative risk of pregnancy associated with repeated unprotected intercourse. In fact, much of the adult population struggles to understand numerical health information, and low numeracy is connected with poor health behaviors and outcomes in many domains. Using longitudinal data from the Relationship Dynamics and Social Life study (RDSL), I test whether numeracy predicts risky sexual and contraceptive behavior among women aged 18-22. I find that numeracy does not predict sexual frequency, but does predict contraceptive risk-taking: greater likelihood and frequency of unprotected sex, greater probability of relying on withdrawal, more method switches, and more gaps in contraceptive use. Low numeracy may be a serious obstacle to the reduction of unintended pregnancy in the US.

Author

• Elizabeth Jane Ela, University of Michigan