Fertility Decline and Participation in Georgia's Family Planning Program: Temporal and Areal Association

Abstract

3 different analytic techniques are used to demonstrate a causal relationship between a Georgia statewide public family planning program and a subsequent decline in fertility. The Georgia family planning program developed rapid growth since 1967. By January 1973 42% of the states black women in the 15-44 age group had accepted contraception from a public family planning center; only 7.7% of white women in the same age groups had accepted. The proportions of young and of childless women increased over time. By 1969 oral contraceptives were the most popular method. The first analytic method a temporal one indicated an association between enrollment of black women 25 years or older in the family planning program and a subsequent decline in fertility. The second analysis showed that black fertility declined more than twice as much in counties with high rates of contraceptive acceptance than in counties with low rates of contraceptive acceptance. The third analysis a multivariate regression technique to control for other factors that might influence fertility controlled for the following factors: 1)female employment; 2)farm residence; 3)poverty; and 4)female education. The limitations of the model and the data are mentioned. This method indicated that socioeconomic factors became less important and contraceptive acceptance more important in declining fertility over time.