Contraceptive Use and Family Planning Services Along the U.S.-Mexico Border

Abstract

Investigators from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and the Mexican Social Security Institute report on contraceptive use and the unmet need for family planning services along the border based on a 1979 survey. Results show that 75% of Anglo women (white nonhispanic) and 65% of Hispanic women living on the U.S. side are currently using contraceptives while about 50% of the women on the Mexican side are current users. About 30% of the Mexican women are in need of family planning services--married not pregnant seeking pregnancy or sterile and not using any method of contraception. The comparable level of unmet need among women on the U.S. side is 1.5 among Anglos and 10% among Hispanics. Mexican women are somewhat more likely to depend on medical methods (sterilization pill IUD and injectables) than are Anglo or Hispanic women (83% 76% and 72% respectively). Pill use especially is higher among Mexican women (42% of users compared to 27% of Anglo and 32% of Hispanic users). About 1/5 of women who use a method opt for sterilization. Sterilization of the male partner is popular among Anglo couples (24%) but not among Hispanics (6%) or Mexicans (less than 1%). Levels of contraceptive use among the Mexican and Hispanic women rise with level of education but there is little variation among Anglo women on this variable. Anglo users are more likely to obtain their methods from private sources (72%) than Hispanics (44%) or Mexicans (55%). Hispanic women in the U.S. are more likely than Anglo women to obtain their method from organized programs such as hospitals local health departments and Planned Parenthood clinics. 45% of Mexican women who use a method obtain it through such public sources as the Ministry of Health the Mexican Social Security Institute and the Employees Institute for Social Security and Social Services; almost the same proportion (41%) get their method (mainly the pill available without prescription) from pharmacies. (Authors)