Contraceptive choice of limiters ages 35-44 in the United States: an examination of selection of method from among a number of possible choices
Gillaspy, R.T.
Social Biology 26(1): 72-79
1979
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-766X PMID: 538467 DOI: 10.1080/19485565.1979.9988362Document Number: 444241
A subsample from the 1970 National Fertility Survey and discriminant analysis were used in an effort to isolate, for the sample employed, those characteristics of contraceptive adopters which best differentiate among adopters of the various methods. The attempt was also made to isolate those contraceptive method characteristics which are most important to the potential adopter in determining method choice. Analysis of contraceptive choice initially included 7 choices -- rhythm, foam, condom, diaphragm, oral contraceptive (OC), IUD, and sterilization. There were 241 respondents in the sample. The analysis was divided into 2 parts: the choice from among the 6 methods usually thought of as contraceptives; and 2) the choice between sterilization and the 6 methods. 2 significant characteristic dimensions were isolated. The 1st dimension was interpreted as a distinction among methods from non-effective to less-effective and the 2nd as representing an aesthetics-health dimension, dividing methods between coitus-related versus non-coitus-related dimension. Income and number of births to be averted were found to play an important role in the choice of sterilization.