Title: Use of family planning services in the United States, 1982 and 1988
Description: This preliminary report on the 1988 data from Cycle IV of the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) collected by the US National Center for Health Statistics. Compares 1988 figures with the 1982 Cycle III data. 8450 women 15-44 years old across the US were interviewed in 1988. 37% (1982) and 35% (1988) of the women had family planning visits in the previous year. 50% of the 20-24 year olds used family planning services in 1988 (the highest % group), whereas 25-29 year olds were the highest group in 1982. Among teenagers, 41% of the black women and 34% of the white women had a visit. Over 20 years old, the racial differences were not significant. In 1988, low and high income groups were equally likely to use family planning. In 1982, low income women were more likely to have had a visit. 64% of the women used a private doctor and 36% used a clinic (these are similar to 1982 rates). A significantly larger number of black women used the clinics than white in all age groups. Black teenagers use clinics more than white teenagers, however the differential decreased from 1982 (74% vs. 44%) to 1988 (65% vs. 61%). The race differential remained large for women 20 and older (e.g. for 1988, 62% of black and 38% of white women 20-24 years old used clinics). The amount of teenagers using a clinic has risen sharply from 51% (1982) to 62% (1988), whereas only 19% (1982) and 23% (1988) of women over 30 used clinics. Low-income women predominantly use clinics. More low-income white women used clinics in 1988 (56%) than in 1982 (40%). 70% of black women used a clinic for a 1st visit vs. 54% of white women in 1988.
Subjects: Family planning services, Utilization, Contraception
Places: United States