Determinants of and disparities in reproductive health service use among adolescent and young adult women in the United States, 2002-2008

This article reports on a study of determinants of and disparities in reproductive health service use among young women in the United States from 2002 to 2008. Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth, the researchers examine service use across sociodemographic and reproductive characteristics and investigate potential disparate changes in service use over time. They found that more than half the sample (59%) had used services in the past year. In regression models, predictors of service use included age, education, birthplace, insurance, religious participation, mother's education, childhood family situation, age at menarche, sexual intercourse experience, recent number of partners, and previous gynecological diagnosis. Although service use decreased by 8% overall from 2002 to 2006–2008, the magnitude of decline was similar across demographic and socioeconomic groups. These inequalities in reproductive health service use among women in the United States, particularly among the youngest and socially disadvantaged women, may translate to worsening and more disparate reproductive outcomes.