Does Education Promote Acceptance?: Perceptions of Emergency Contraception on the U.S.-Mexico Border [13I

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Given the high unintended pregnancy rate and infrequent use of emergency contraception (EC) in the U.S., it is imperative that providers investigate patients’ beliefs regarding EC. This study’s aim was to assess the impact of EC patient education on knowledge of and willingness to use EC. METHODS: 75 women ages 18-50 years were recruited from university clinics in El Paso, a multicultural city on the U.S.-Mexico border. IRB approval was obtained and participants underwent informed consent. Knowledge of EC was measured before and after subjects watched an educational video. Adjusted odds ratios for patients’ knowledge post-intervention were calculated from logistic regression models using Firth’s bias-reducing penalized likelihood. RESULTS: The average participant’s age was 28.4 years and 82.7% self-identified as Hispanic. Before watching the video, 30.7% of participants answered that EC would only work before implantation, and this proportion increased to 37.0% after the video. Women with moderate religious beliefs were less likely than women without very strong religious beliefs or with none at all to correctly identify that EC works before implantation occurs (OR 0.21, P=.03). 21.3% of subjects initially stated that they considered an abortion to be interrupting pregnancy after implantation occurs, whereas 37.8% conveyed the same opinion after the video. Prior to the educational intervention, 17.6% of patients reported they would never use EC, and after the video, this figure was 16.2% (P=.71). CONCLUSION: Women with moderately strong religious beliefs were less likely to correctly identify EC’s mechanism of action. The educational intervention did not significantly affect participants’ willingness to use EC.