Association between Contraceptive Use Change and Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors in 2011-2019 United States: A Regression Analysis

Abstract

General contraceptive adoption has been shown to increase in the past decades. Although factors associated with contraceptive use have been studied in the past, few have looked into how such factors changed over time, especially in a developed country like the United States. This study uses four female response datasets from 2011-2013, 2013-2015, 2015-2017, and 2017-2019. Data were collected by the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). A total of 20 variables were selected using a step-up approach based on literature review and reviewing missing rates. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted, accompanied by a step-down Akaike information criterion (AIC) model and the Hosmer Lemeshow test. This study indicates that age, race, and pregnancy are the top three most frequently associated variables among the eight contraceptive methods analyzed. A general shift in associations with income and drinking was also observed across most contraceptive methods, while factors such as highest degree have become less associated. Results indicate that improving sexual education in the US has played an increasingly predominant role in contraceptive choices.