Young Women's Complex Patterns of Contraceptive Use: Findings from an Australian Cohort Study

Abstract

CONTEXT: Unintended pregnancy is common among young women. Understanding how such women use contraceptives- including method combinations-is essential to providing high-quality contraceptive care. METHODS: Data were from a representative cohort of 2,965 Australian women aged 18-23 who participated in the 2012-2013 Contraceptive Use, Pregnancy Intention and Decisions baseline survey, had been heterosexually active in the previous six months, and were not pregnant or trying to conceive. Latent class analysis was employed to characterize women's contraceptive choices; multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate correlates of membership in the identified classes. RESULTS: The vast major..