The Family Planning Attitudes and Experiences of Low-Income Women

A 1995 telephone survey of 1,852 low-income women aged 18-34 who were sexually active and at risk of unintended pregnancy found that 83% were currently practicing contraception. They were more likely to do so if they held positive attitudes toward contraceptive use, if they talked frequently about intimate matters with their partners and girlfriends and if they were very satisfied with the services they received at their last gynecologic visit. Seventy percent of current users said they were very satisfied with their method. Women whose last visit was to a clinic, who were very satisfied with the care they received and who used the pill or a long-acting method were more likely than others to report being very satisfied with their contraceptive. Women very satisfied with their gynecologic care were more likely to use oral contraceptives and to take them consistently, but were less likely to report that their partner used condoms or, if they did, used them consistently. Most women had made a medical visit for gynecologic or contraceptive care in the past year (86%), and 80% were very satisfied overall with their care at their last visit. Women were more likely to be very satisfied if the staff was courteous, helpful and respectful and made an effort to find out their needs, if their clinician's gender matched their own preference and if the facility was clean and services were organized.