Despite Jamaica's High Contraceptive Prevalence Rate, More Than Two-Thirds of Pregnancies are Unintended

Abstract

The 1993 Jamaica Contraceptive Prevalence Survey fifth in a series of contraceptive prevalence surveys conducted in Jamaica since 1974 determined that 96% of sampled males and 80% of females aged 18-19 have experienced sexual intercourse. Although awareness of contraceptive methods is extremely high in Jamaica only 21% of men and 43% of women aged 15-24 used contraceptives the first time that they had sexual intercourse. The proportion of women aware of various contraceptive methods remained almost unchanged between 1989 and 1993. The level of current contraceptive use among women in union aged 15-44 however increased from 55% in 1989 to 62% in 1993 presumably due mainly to an 8% increase in condom usage brought about by recent HIV prevention campaigns. 69% of men in union aged 15-54 currently used some form of contraception. Despite these relatively high levels of current contraception use almost 70% of pregnancies in Jamaica are unintended. The rate of total fertility (TFR) has remained stable for several years at 3.0 births per woman. The author explains that the observed stability in TFR and the high incidence of unintended pregnancy may be due to the underestimation of TFR in 1989 episodic and sporadic condom use changes in other proximate determinants of fertility such as a decrease in the duration of postpartum abstinence and/or high levels of contraceptive discontinuation.