Abstract
Background: The unintended pregnancy rate in the United States is high, and emergency contraception (EC) is a birth control method that prevents unintended pregnancies. Despite the fact that many college campuses provide access to EC, undergraduate college students have relatively high rates of unintended pregnancies. Purpose: This study examined whether perceptions and knowledge regarding EC use were associated with women’s intentions to use EC, and men’s intentions to support their partner’s EC use. Methods: This study utilized a convenience sample of 96 female and 118 male southern California community college undergraduate students. Results: Women had stronger intentions to use EC if they thought they could successfully obtain it at a pharmacy, while men reported they were more likely to support a partner’s use if they thought that EC use is morally acceptable. Conclusions: The findings suggest that increasing women’s knowledge about the accessibility of EC may lead to increased use of EC if needed. Men’s moral stance regarding EC use may impact the degree to which they will support their female partners using EC. Further implications are discussed.
Highlights
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2014), unintended pregnancies are those that were mistimed and/or unwanted
The Present Study This study examined whether perceptions and knowledge regarding emergency contraception (EC) are associated with intentions to use EC among undergraduate student women, and men’s intentions to support their partner’s use of EC
Our findings suggest that males’ moral stance regarding EC use is predictive of their intentions to support their sexual partners in their use of EC
Summary
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2014), unintended pregnancies are those that were mistimed (wanted later) and/or unwanted. Higher education has been associated with higher rates of contraceptive use (Wu, Meldrum, Dozier, Stanwood, & Fiscella, 2008), an estimated 1.7% of female college students reported experiencing an unintended pregnancy within the past 12 months in 2013 (American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II, 2013). This suggests that continued efforts to prevent unintended pregnancies among college students are highly needed. The unintended pregnancy rate in the United States is high, and emergency contraception (EC) is a birth control method that prevents unintended pregnancies.
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