Search is Powered by Google
Sexual Health / STDs News

Many Black Girls Unaware Of Emergency Contraception Option, Study Finds

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 14 Aug 2008 - 9:00 PST

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article
Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:1 star

1 (1 votes)

Health Professional:4 stars

4 (1 votes)

Article Opinions: 0 posts

Many black girls living in urban areas appear to lack general knowledge about emergency contraception, according to a study published in the August issue of Pediatrics, Reuters Health reports. For the study, Cynthia Mollen of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and colleagues conducted one-hour interviews with 30 English-speaking black girls ages 15 to 19 who had sought treatment in an emergency department. Sixteen of the girls reported being sexually active, five of whom previously had been pregnant. Fourteen girls said they were not sexually active.

Researchers found that 94% of the sexually active girls had heard of EC but that 40% of them were unable to answer questions about how EC works. Half of the girls who were not sexually active had heard of EC. Four of the girls who had heard of EC knew how to use or obtain it, the study found. In addition, seven girls -- five of whom were sexually active -- knew that EC is available over the counter for women ages 18 and older.

Many of the girls believed that health care providers would call their parents if they requested EC and said that people who use EC should be embarrassed. In addition, many girls said they were concerned about possible side effects, including those not associated with EC, if they took the drug. Mollen said the study provides a "framework for future interventions aimed at increasing" use of EC among adolescent minority girls (Hendry, Reuters Health, 8/11).

An abstract of the study is available online.

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.




Personalized Homepage Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Opioid Induced Constipation ADHD Anxiety Asthma Autism Cancer Diabetes Lung Cancer Lupus Medicare / Medicaid Obesity and BMI Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells All 'What Is...' Articles All 'How To...' Articles

Ophthalmology Urology
About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Links Contact Us

add medical news today to your facebook
medical news gadget

Swine Flu Image

Swine Flu Updates

- Latest Swine Flu News
- What is Swine Flu?
- Map Of H1N1 Outbreaks
- Swine Flu - Top 20 FAQ
- Daily Email News Alerts
Stick with Medical News Today for the latest news updates on swine flu.


These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Top Article Star
Children Viewing Adult-targeted TV May Become Sexually Active Earlier In Life
05 May 2009
Early onset of sexual activity among teens may relate to the amount of adult content children were exposed to during their childhood, according to a new study released by Children's Hospital Boston...


Talking with Your Doctor image Talking with Your Doctor

Talking with your doctor can sometimes be difficult. Good health care, however, depends on an open dialogue between patients and doctors...

Talking with Your Doctor image Talking with Your Doctor

Talking with your doctor can sometimes be difficult. Good health care, however, depends on an open dialogue between patients and doctors...

View more videos...