The specific aim of the proposed project is to enhance our understanding of how to sustain recent improvements in contraceptive use at first sex so that teens and young adults can become more consistent contraceptive users. The proposed project will examine patterns of contraceptive use and consistency across sexual relationships, within current cohorts of teens and young adults. Our premise is that contraceptive use must be negotiated and sustained within each new sexual relationship. Understanding why teens and young adults use contraception consistently, as well as understanding patterns of inconsistent use, will help inform strategies to prevent unintended pregnancy and STIs. Analyses by race/ethnicity will help address disparities in reproductive health among racial and ethnic minorities. Additional sub-population analyses will include comparisons of teens and young adults, and males and females. The proposed project will incorporate an ecological framework, which posits that behaviors among teens and young adults will be influenced by factors from multiple domains of their lives. We will incorporate multi-level and multi-process models to examine how contraceptive use patterns are shaped by individual knowledge and motivations, characteristics of each sexual relationship (including partner characteristics and sexual activity), peer environments and family background, including parent-child communication. We will also examine the influence of school, community, and policy variables, such as sex education programs and the presence of economic opportunities. The project will analyze month-by-month histories of contraceptive use and sexual relationships within two cycles of the National Survey of Family Growth (1995, 2001) and information on sexual relationships and contraceptive use patterns within three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HD040830-04
Application #
6758592
Study Section
Social Sciences, Nursing, Epidemiology and Methods 4 (SNEM)
Program Officer
Newcomer, Susan
Project Start
2001-08-08
Project End
2006-07-31
Budget Start
2004-08-01
Budget End
2006-07-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$239,400
Indirect Cost
Name
Child Trends, Inc.
Department
Type
DUNS #
127687093
City
Washington
State
DC
Country
United States
Zip Code
McDonald, Jill A; Manlove, Jennifer; Ikramullah, Erum N (2009) Immigration measures and reproductive health among Hispanic youth: findings from the national longitudinal survey of youth, 1997-2003. J Adolesc Health 44:14-24
Manlove, Jennifer; Ikramullah, Erum; Mincieli, Lisa et al. (2009) Trends in sexual experience, contraceptive use, and teenage childbearing: 1992-2002. J Adolesc Health 44:413-23
Manlove, Jennifer; Ryan, Suzanne; Franzetta, Kerry (2007) Contraceptive use patterns across teens'sexual relationships: the role of relationships, partners, and sexual histories. Demography 44:603-21
Manlove, Jennifer; Terry-Humen, Elizabeth (2007) Contraceptive use patterns within females'first sexual relationships: the role of relationships, partners, and methods. J Sex Res 44:3-16
Manlove, Jennifer S; Terry-Humen, Elizabeth; Ikramullah, Erum N et al. (2006) The role of parent religiosity in teens' transitions to sex and contraception. J Adolesc Health 39:578-87
Manlove, Jennifer; Ryan, Suzanne; Franzetta, Kerry (2004) Contraceptive use and consistency in U.S. teenagers' most recent sexual relationships. Perspect Sex Reprod Health 36:265-75
Manlove, Jennifer; Ryan, Suzanne; Franzetta, Kerry (2003) Patterns of contraceptive use within teenagers' first sexual relationships. Perspect Sex Reprod Health 35:246-55