Women In Need of Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in South Carolina: A County-Level Investigation

Authors' Affiliations

Anthony Peluso, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN Nathan Hale, Department of Health Services Management & Policy, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN Michael Smith, Department of Health Services Management & Policy, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN Amal Khoury, Department of Health Services Management & Policy, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN

Location

AUDITORIUM ROOM 137A

Start Date

4-12-2019 10:00 AM

End Date

4-12-2019 10:15 AM

Faculty Sponsor’s Department

Health Services Management & Policy

Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Nathan Hale

Classification of First Author

Graduate Student-Doctoral

Type

Oral Presentation

Project's Category

Reproductive Health Services, Womens Health

Abstract or Artist's Statement

INTRODUCTION: Half of all pregnancies in South Carolina are unintended (mistimed or unwanted) and are associated with a higher risk for adverse maternal and infant health outcomes. South Carolina has a wide network of publicly supported clinics providing reproductive health services, including the Department of Health and Environmental Control, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and Rural Health Clinics. Having a better understanding of the geographic distribution of women in need of publicly funded contraceptive services is crucial for health planning and improving health delivery systems. METHODS: The total number of reproductive-aged women (15-44 years) in South Carolina was drawn from the 2017 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimate files housed by the U.S. Census Bureau. A four-step process was used to estimate the number of reproductive-aged women in need of publicly funded contraceptive services at the county-level. First, the number of women between 15-19 years of age in each county was established. Next, the number of women with family incomes <100% of the federal poverty level in each county was identified. Data from the South Carolina Statewide Survey of Women, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, were used to estimate the number of reproductive-aged women (18-44) at-risk for experiencing an unintended pregnancy. The proportion of the women who were not sterile, not currently pregnant or not trying to get pregnant in the next 3 months was considered at-risk (76.24% of the total sample). The proportion of women at-risk was used to adjust the estimates of the total number of low-income women between 20-44 years of age in need of publicly funded contraceptive services in each county. The adjusted number of low-income women and the number of women less than 20 years of age were combined to estimate number of women in need of publicly funded contraceptive services. FINDINGS: There are an estimated 950,978 women of reproductive age living in South Carolina; of these women, about 40% (N=374,000) are considered in need of publicly funded contraceptive services. County-level need estimates ranged from 33.5% to 57.8% (M = 42.2%, SD = 4.8%) of the total reproductive-aged female population. While the number of women in need followed a typical population density pattern, rural communities had higher proportions of women in need of publicly funded contraceptive services, relative to the total population of reproductive-aged women. Rural counties comprised 91% of counties with the greatest need for publicly funded contraceptive services. CONCLUSIONS: Proportionally, the need for publicly funded contraceptive services is greater in rural and low-resource counties. While ensuring services are available among large population centers is certainly warranted, these findings also suggest that access to contraceptive services in rural counties is also needed and should be considered in health planning and service allocation policies and practices.

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Apr 12th, 10:00 AM Apr 12th, 10:15 AM

Women In Need of Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in South Carolina: A County-Level Investigation

AUDITORIUM ROOM 137A

INTRODUCTION: Half of all pregnancies in South Carolina are unintended (mistimed or unwanted) and are associated with a higher risk for adverse maternal and infant health outcomes. South Carolina has a wide network of publicly supported clinics providing reproductive health services, including the Department of Health and Environmental Control, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and Rural Health Clinics. Having a better understanding of the geographic distribution of women in need of publicly funded contraceptive services is crucial for health planning and improving health delivery systems. METHODS: The total number of reproductive-aged women (15-44 years) in South Carolina was drawn from the 2017 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimate files housed by the U.S. Census Bureau. A four-step process was used to estimate the number of reproductive-aged women in need of publicly funded contraceptive services at the county-level. First, the number of women between 15-19 years of age in each county was established. Next, the number of women with family incomes <100% of the federal poverty level in each county was identified. Data from the South Carolina Statewide Survey of Women, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, were used to estimate the number of reproductive-aged women (18-44) at-risk for experiencing an unintended pregnancy. The proportion of the women who were not sterile, not currently pregnant or not trying to get pregnant in the next 3 months was considered at-risk (76.24% of the total sample). The proportion of women at-risk was used to adjust the estimates of the total number of low-income women between 20-44 years of age in need of publicly funded contraceptive services in each county. The adjusted number of low-income women and the number of women less than 20 years of age were combined to estimate number of women in need of publicly funded contraceptive services. FINDINGS: There are an estimated 950,978 women of reproductive age living in South Carolina; of these women, about 40% (N=374,000) are considered in need of publicly funded contraceptive services. County-level need estimates ranged from 33.5% to 57.8% (M = 42.2%, SD = 4.8%) of the total reproductive-aged female population. While the number of women in need followed a typical population density pattern, rural communities had higher proportions of women in need of publicly funded contraceptive services, relative to the total population of reproductive-aged women. Rural counties comprised 91% of counties with the greatest need for publicly funded contraceptive services. CONCLUSIONS: Proportionally, the need for publicly funded contraceptive services is greater in rural and low-resource counties. While ensuring services are available among large population centers is certainly warranted, these findings also suggest that access to contraceptive services in rural counties is also needed and should be considered in health planning and service allocation policies and practices.