Impacts of behavioral intentions, social support, and accessibility on contraception: A cross-cultural study

Abstract

Multivariate analysis of survey data from women at risk of pregnancy in three cultures (Venezuela, Kenya, and Philippines) are used to examine the relative impacts of socio-demographic and personal psychological determinants on contraceptive intentions and actions. The analyses show that the impacts of behavioral intentions on contraceptive actions vary significantly by cultures and socio-demographic strata. The consistency between contraceptive intentions and actionalso varied significantly by several social psychological factors which are discussed. The analyses revealed that within a given cultural and sociodemographic setting, contraceptive action is a function of the additive effects of these factors: specific behavioral intentions, social support, accessibility of services, and the action situation. The paper discusses implications for research and policy.