U.S. Religious Groups Vary in Patterns of Method Use, But Not in Overall Contraceptive Prevalence

Abstract

Researchers analyzed 1988 data on contraceptive use of 8450 women from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) to examine patterns of contraceptive use and prevalence among religious groups in the US> They also compared these data with those from the 1973 and 1982 NSFGs and from the 1965 National Fertility Survey to determine long term trends in method use. About 60% of women from each religious group used a contraceptive method in 1988. Protestants were more likely to have undergone a tubal sterilization (32%) than other methods. Black and Hispanic Protestants used tubal sterilization and oral contraceptives (OCs) more often that White Protestants tended to rely on a vasectomy. Catholics tended to depend on OCs. Hispanic Catholics were less likely to use OCs than Black and Hispanic Catholics had had a tubal sterilization that White Catholics. Fundamentalist Protestants and Mormons were more likely to practice abstinence than Baptists or other Protestants. Jews preferred both male and female sterilization in 1982 and by 1988 they equally favored the diaphragm. In 1965 and 1975 currently married white Protestants were more likely than Catholics to be using contraceptive method and they most often used OCs. In 1965 Catholics tended to use the rhythm method but by 1973 they too favored OCs. Sterilization (both male and female) increased from 27-54% among Protestants and from 17-43% among Catholics between 1965-1973. By 1988 these percentages were essentially the same. A rapid rise in tubal sterilizations among Protestants between 1973-1988 resulted in a huge difference of tubal sterilization and vasectomy between Protestants and Catholics however. During the 1980s overall use of sterilization and condoms rose while use of IUDs and rhythm method fell.