Teen
Contraceptive Use
www.teenpregnancy.org
Our presentation covers 3
areas:
New data on contraceptive use among teens
aged 15-19
Implications
About the National Campaign and Putting
What Works to Work (PWWTW)
www.teenpregnancy.org 2
Data used in this presentation
1988, 1995, and 2002 National Survey of
Family Growth (NSFG)
1988 and 1995 National Survey of Adolescent
Males (NSAM)
Data are for teens aged 15-19 unless other
wise noted
Dual method use refers to using both a
condom and hormonal method of
contraception
www.teenpregnancy.org 3
Contraceptive use has increased
since 1995 for both boys and girls
Trends in Contraceptive Use at Last Sex Among Never- Married,
Sexually Active Teens, 1988, 1995 and 2002
100%
90% Girls - Any Method
80% Boys - Any Method
Girls - Condom
70%
Boys - Condom
60%
Percent
Girls - Dual Methods
50%
Boys - Dual Methods
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1988 1995 2002
Year
Source: Abma, J.C., Martinez, G.M., Mosher, W.D. (2004).Teenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, contraceptive use, and childbearing, 2002. Vital Health Statistics, 23 (24)
www.teenpregnancy.org 4
Almost all sexually experienced teen
girls have ever used contraception
More than 9 in 10 teen girls have ever used a
condom
6 in 10 teen girls have ever used the pill
More than half of teen girls have ever used
withdrawal
www.teenpregnancy.org 5
The percent of teen girls who have
ever used contraception varies by
race/ethnicity (NSFG 2002)
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Any Method Condom* Pill* Withdrawal* Depo Rhythm Emergency
Contraception
All Teen Girls Hispanic Non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic Black
* Differences between racial/ethnic groups are statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05)
www.teenpregnancy.org 6
Contraceptive Use at First Sex
(among sexually experienced
teens)
More than one quarter of girls and one in five teen
boys did not use a method of contraception first time
they had sex
In general, a smaller proportion of Hispanic teens
used a method of contraception the first time they
had sex compared to non-Hispanic black and non-
Hispanic white peers
The male condom is the most common method of
contraception used by teens the first time they have
sex
www.teenpregnancy.org 7
Methods of Contraception Used
at First Sex, NSFG 2002
Other Methods
Hormonal 3% Other Methods
Method Only 5%
5%
Hormonal No Method 18%
Method Only 6%
Dual Method No Method
13% 26%
Dual Method
10%
Condoms Only
Condoms Only 61%
53%
Sexually Experienced Girls Sexually Experienced Boys
www.teenpregnancy.org 8
Contraceptive use at first sex
increases with age at first sex (NSFG
2002)
100%
88%
90% 83%
80%
76% 76%
80%
70% 65%
60% 14 and Younger
50% 15-16
40% 17 and Older
30%
17%
20% 10%
13% 12%12%
8%
10%
0%
Girls - Any Boys - Girls - Boys -
Method Any Dual Dual
Method Methods Methods
www.teenpregnancy.org 9
A majority of sexually active teens
used contraception the last time they
had sex
Nine in ten sexually active teen boys and more than
eight in ten sexually active teen girls used
contraception at last sex
Most sexually active teens used a condom at last sex
Approximately one in five teen girls and almost one
quarter of teen boys used both a hormonal method
and a condom the last time they had sex
www.teenpregnancy.org 10
Contraceptive Use at Last Sex
Among Sexually Active Teen Girls,
NSFG 2002
100%
90% 86% 89%
83% 81%
80% 74%
70% 63%
58% 58%
60%
53% 50% 49% 49% 50%
50% 44% 46%
41%
40%
30% 29%
25% 22% 23%
19% 28%
20%
13% 12% 15%
10% 13%
0%
All Teen Younger Older Girls Hispanic Non- Non-
Girls Girls (15-17) (18-19) Teen Girls Hispanic Hispanic
White Teen Black Teen
Girls Girls
Any Method Hormonal Methods Condom Dual Methods Withdrawal
www.teenpregnancy.org 11
Contraceptive Use at Last Sex
Among Sexually Active Teen Boys,
NSFG 2002
100%
90% 91% 89% 91%
88% 88%
90% 83% 85%
80%
70% 69%
70% 64%
60%
60%
50% 45%
41%
40% 37%
28% 30%
30% 24% 24% 24% 24% 21%
17% 17% 19%
20% 16%
11%
10%
0%
All Teen Younger Older Boys Hispanic Non-Hispanic Non-Hispanic
Boys Boys (15-17) (18-19) Teen Boys White Teen Black Teen
Boys Boys
Any Method Hormonal Methods Condom Dual Methods Withdrawal
www.teenpregnancy.org 12
A majority of sexually active teens
used contraception both the first and
last time they had sex (NSFG 2002)
Did not use a
method Did not use
either time, a method
Used a 6% Used a either time,
method only method 6%
at last sex, only at last
19% sex, 12%
Used a
method
only at first
sex, 4%
Used
Used a Method at
method only First and
at first sex, Used Method Last Sex,
at First and 78%
11%
Last Sex,
64%
Sexually Active Teen Girls Sexually Active Teen Boys
www.teenpregnancy.org 13
Consistency of Use
Almost half (48%) of never-married teens boys
who had sex in the past year used a condom
every time they had sex
Less than one third (28%) of never-married
teen girls who had sex in the past year used a
condom every time they had sex
www.teenpregnancy.org 14
Teens who stopped using
contraception
Almost one third of sexually experienced teen
girls who have ever used a method of
contraception have stopped using a method
More than half of these girls reported that they
stopped using the pill
The most common reason for stopping
contraceptive use was side effects
www.teenpregnancy.org 15
Reasons for stopping
contraceptive use (NSFG 2002)
Reason Percent Who
Stopped
Side Effects 53%
Worried about Side Effects 5%
Partner Dissatisfaction 10%
Decreased Sexual Pleasure 11%
Doctor told you not to use the method again 6%
Did not like changes to menstrual cycle 17%
Too expensive 2%
Too difficult to use 2%
Too difficult to obtain 7%
You were worried the method would fail 4%
The method did fail 8%
The method did not protect against disease 3%
www.teenpregnancy.org 16
Comparing teens and older
women
The proportion of teen girls who used
contraception the last time they had sex is
similar to the proportion of unmarried women
in their twenties who used contraception the
last time they had sex
Teen girls are more likely to use condoms and
dual methods of contraception than older
women
www.teenpregnancy.org 17
Contraceptive Use at Last Sex Among
Sexually Active, Unmarried Women,
NSFG 2002
100%
90% 86%
83% 82%
80% 76%
70%
Teen Girls
60% 55%
20-24 Years
50% 43%
39% 25-29 Years
40% 34% 32% 30% 30-39 Years
30% 21% 20%
20% 16%
12%
7%
10% 3%
0%
Any Pill Condom Dual
Method Methods
www.teenpregnancy.org 18
What it all means…
Contraceptive use is getting better, but there is
still room for improvement
There is good news and bad news on the
types of contraception that teens are using
www.teenpregnancy.org 19
What it all means…
There are gender differences in contraceptive
use among teens
There are some important racial/ethnic
differences in contraceptive use among teens
Myths may be a powerful disincentive to use
contraception
www.teenpregnancy.org 20
Finally…
Practitioners, parents, and other caring adults
must continue to work with young people to
help them choose and use a method of
contraception consistently and accurately—
every time—whether it be a barrier method or
hormonal method—or better yet, both
www.teenpregnancy.org 21
About the Campaign
The Campaign’s mission is to improve the
well-being of children, youth, and families by
preventing teen pregnancy.
Our goal is to reduce the rate of teen
pregnancy by one-third between 2006 and
2015.
www.teenpregnancy.org 22
Putting What Works To Work
PWWTW is a Cooperative Agreement funded
by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
Goal: Enhance the ability of state and local
organizations to incorporate science-based
approaches into their teen pregnancy
prevention efforts.
www.teenpregnancy.org 23
PWWTW: How?
Produce high-quality, research-based, user-
friendly materials.
Use these materials to encourage states,
communities, and national organizations to
incorporate research-based practices into their
work.
Go beyond the “usual suspects” and reach out
to media executives, state legislators, funders
and other opinion leaders.
www.teenpregnancy.org 24
Thank You!
For more information, visit:
www.teenpregnancy.org
www.teenpregnancy.org 25