You may remember reading about Department of Communication Professor Beth Sundstrom here and here. In addition to teaching in the new public health program, Dr. Sundstrom contributes to her larger research agenda: women’s reproductive health. This blog post spotlights her most recent article, “Fifty years on “the pill”: A qualitative analysis of nondaily contraceptive options.”
Background: Despite widespread use of “the pill,” half of all pregnancies in the United States remain unplanned. Although nondaily contraceptive options offer a safe, effective alternative to oral contraception, these methods are not widely used.
Study Design: A total of 18 women aged 18–23 years completed in-depth interviews. Data analysis included a grounded theory approach and constant-comparative method using open and axial coding to reduce the data and identify themes across the data.
Results: Social norms, health uncertainty and limited knowledge emerged as barriers to use of nondaily contraceptive options. Participants understood birth control as “the pill,” and nondaily options were perceived as new and untested. Participants reported a lack of knowledge about the differences between methods and the effectiveness of nondaily options.
Conclusions: These findings offer practical suggestions to health communication campaign planners and health care providers to increase uptake of nondaily contraceptive options to improve method satisfaction and reduce unplanned pregnancies among young women.
Are you interested in this topic? If so, Dr. Sundstrom is always looking for collaborators (students, faculty, and staff)! You can find her contact information here.