Disrupted prevention: condom and contraception access and use among young adults during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey

Lewis, Ruth; Blake, Carolyn; Shimonovich, Michal; Coia, Nicky; Duffy, Johann; Kerr, Yvonne; Wilson, Jill; Graham, Cynthia A.; Mitchell, Kirstin R

doi:10.1136/bmjsrh-2020-200975

Cited by 62 publications

(97 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…As our survey was conducted between June-July 2020, we asked young people whether COVID-19 related social distancing measures had made any difference to their access to, and use of, condoms and contraception. These findings are described more fully elsewhere [7].…”

supporting

confidence: 61%

Understanding young people’s use and non-use of condoms and contraception: a co-developed, mixed-methods study with 16-24 year olds in Scotland. Final report from CONUNDRUM (CONdom and CONtraception UNDerstandings: Researching Uptake and Motivations)

Lewis¹,

Blake²,

McMellon³

et al. 2021

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III The timing of the survey (June-July 2020) presented an opportunity to ask respondents about the impact of COVID-19 on their experiences of accessing and using condoms and contraception during the early months of the pandemic. viii RecommendationsRecommendations for future sexual health policy and provision were co-developed with 31 sexual health stakeholders -including young people, sexual health clinicians, and people involved in planning sexual health services.

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supporting

confidence: 61%

Understanding young people’s use and non-use of condoms and contraception: a co-developed, mixed-methods study with 16-24 year olds in Scotland. Final report from CONUNDRUM (CONdom and CONtraception UNDerstandings: Researching Uptake and Motivations)

Lewis¹,

Blake²,

McMellon³

et al. 2021

Self Cite

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“…We do not have information on why women found it harder to access contraception; however, a recent online study from Scotland reported several factors impacting access to contraception during the COVID-19 pandemic. 12 These include a lack of clarity about the legitimacy of trying to access SRH services during a pandemic, uncertainty about which SRH services are still available, limited GP appointments, challenges to contraceptive prescribing, and closure of usual points of access to free condoms within community settings. 12 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 12 These include a lack of clarity about the legitimacy of trying to access SRH services during a pandemic, uncertainty about which SRH services are still available, limited GP appointments, challenges to contraceptive prescribing, and closure of usual points of access to free condoms within community settings. 12 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on access to contraception and pregnancy intentions: a national prospective cohort study of the UK population

Balachandren

Barrett

Stephenson

et al. 2021

BMJ Sex Reprod Health

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ObjectiveEvaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to contraception and pregnancy intentions.DesignNationwide prospective cohort study.SettingUnited Kingdom.ParticipantsWomen in the UK who were pregnant between 24 May and 31 December 2020.Main outcome measuresAccess to contraception and level of pregnancy intentions, using the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP) in women whose last menstrual period was before or after 1 April 2020. While the official date of the first UK lockdown was 23 March, we used 1 April to ensure that those in the post-lockdown group would have faced restrictions in the month that they conceived.ResultsA total of 9784 women enrolled in the cohort: 4114 (42.0%) conceived pre-lockdown and 5670 (58.0%) conceived post-lockdown. The proportion of women reporting difficulties accessing contraception was higher in those who conceived after lockdown (n=366, 6.5% vs n=25, 0.6%, p<0.001) and continued to rise from March to September 2020. After adjusting for confounders, women were nine times more likely to report difficulty accessing contraception after lockdown (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 8.96, 95% CI 5.89 to 13.63, p<0.001). There is a significant difference in the levels of pregnancy planning, with higher proportions of unplanned (n=119, 2.1% vs n=55, 1.3%) and ambivalent pregnancies (n=1163, 20.5% vs n=663, 16.1%) and lower proportions of planned pregnancies (n=4388, 77.4% vs n=3396, 82.5%) in the post-lockdown group (p<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, women who conceived after lockdown were still significantly less likely to have a planned pregnancy (aOR 0.88, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.98, p=0.025).ConclusionsAccess to contraception in the UK has become harder during the COVID-19 pandemic and the proportion of unplanned pregnancies has almost doubled.

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“…Study findings reinforce the importance of ensuring that young people have continued access to sexual and reproductive health care during the ongoing pandemic. While some youth have continued to be sexually active, due to shelter-in-place restrictions and limitations to inperson clinical services, contraception and other services have become more difficult to access [41][42][43]. Many healthcare providers have quickly adapted to offer services through telemedicine during the pandemic, although more research is needed to improve the reach and appropriateness of telemedicine among adolescents and young adults [44,45].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young people’s romantic relationships and sexual activity before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

et al. 2021

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Background Social distancing measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 may profoundly impact young people’s relationships. This study compared adolescent and young adults’ romantic relationships and sexual activity before and after social distancing policies were enacted. Methods In June 2020, 351 youth participating in an ongoing intervention study in Fresno County, California completed an online survey about their experiences related to COVID-19. The survey included open and closed-ended questions about their romantic relationships, sexual activity, and online romantic or sexual interactions before and during social distancing restrictions. We used the chi-square test of independence to compare adolescent (ages 13–17) and young adults’ (ages 18–21) responses. Results were also compared to responses in the intervention study’s baseline survey. Results One-third (37%) of youth were dating or in a romantic relationship and 28% spent time in person with a partner early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Among those dating or in a relationship, 34% physically distanced from their partner due to parental restrictions related to COVID-19. Youth also spent less time in person with their partners during the pandemic than before. Although most youth (69%) were not sexually active before or during the pandemic, 22% had sex during the social distancing period. Young adults were more likely to spend time with their partners and have sex during the restrictions than adolescents. Most youth were not involved in sexting or online dating, before or during the pandemic. Conclusions Adolescents and young adults have continued to engage in sexual and romantic relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic, although many reported physical distancing from their partners. Results suggest that youth continue to need access to sexual health education and services during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Disrupted prevention: condom and contraception access and use among young adults during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey

Cited by 62 publications

References 9 publications

Understanding young people’s use and non-use of condoms and contraception: a co-developed, mixed-methods study with 16-24 year olds in Scotland. Final report from CONUNDRUM (CONdom and CONtraception UNDerstandings: Researching Uptake and Motivations)

Understanding young people’s use and non-use of condoms and contraception: a co-developed, mixed-methods study with 16-24 year olds in Scotland. Final report from CONUNDRUM (CONdom and CONtraception UNDerstandings: Researching Uptake and Motivations)

Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on access to contraception and pregnancy intentions: a national prospective cohort study of the UK population

Young people’s romantic relationships and sexual activity before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

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