Non-use of Contraception by Canadian Youth Aged 15 to 24: Findings From the 2009–2010 Canadian Community Health Survey

Abstract

Objectives: Non-use of contraception is an important contributor to unintended pregnancy. This study assessed non-use of contraception and its determinants among Canadian youth aged 15 to 24.Methods: Data from the 2009-2010 Canadian Community Health Survey respondents aged 15 to 24 were used to identify nonusers of contraception among heterosexual youth who had had intercourse within the previous 12 months, were not pregnant or sterilized, and felt it was important to avoid pregnancy. Sociodemographic, behavioural, and geographic factors were compared for non-users and users of contraception.Results: Among youth at risk for unintended pregnancy, 15.5% were non-users of contraception. There were no differences between sexes. Across regions of Canada, Quebéc had the highest proportion of at-risk youth, but at-risk Quebéc youth were the least likely to be non-users (7.4%; CI 5.7%-9.0%) compared with at-risk youth in the Territories (28.3%; CI 21.6%-35.0%). In the multivariable analysis, aside from residence outside of Quebéc, younger age, lower income, Aboriginal identification (adjusted OR [aOR] 1.67; CI 1.18-2.37), and smoking (aOR 1.55; CI 1.24-1.92) were associated with non-use. Canadian-born youth (aOR 0.61; CI 0.39-0.96) and those enrolled in school (aOR 0.63; CI 0.50-0.81) were less likely to be non-users. Conclusion:The 15.5% of Canadian youth at risk for unintended pregnancy who were non-users of contraception represent an estimated 300 000 Canadian youth. Policies and programs to promote and support access to sexual health services and effective contraception with specific attention to supporting the needs of younger teens, Aboriginal youth, newcomers, lowincome youth, and youth who are not in school are needed.

Risky Sexual Behavior Profiles in Youth: Associations With Borderline Personality Features

“…Our findings are broadly consistent with that of the Non-Use of Contraception of Canadian Youth in the 2009–2010 Canadian Health Survey ( Dunn et al, 2019 ) which showed that 15% of youth had unprotected sex. It is also in line with previous findings that condom use is lower in the context of sex with regular partners in adults ( Macaluso et al, 2000 ; Fetner et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Further research is also needed to determine whether youth in this group used other forms of contraception as the use of oral contraception was associated with decreased condom use by youth in the 2009–2010 Canadian Health Survey ( Dunn et al, 2019 ) as well as other studies ( Corbin and Fromme, 2002 ; Parkes et al, 2009 ). Adolescents may think that in the context of romantic relationships where contraception is used, protection is not necessary.…”

Designing an intervention to improve sexual health service use among university undergraduate students: a mixed methods study guided by the behaviour change wheel

“…In Canada, young men and women aged 20 to 24 have the highest rates of chlamydia infections (1627.6 per 100,000) [1]. Youth are also at risk of unplanned pregnancy and encounter barriers to accessing effective contraceptive methods [2]. Many university students are among this high-risk group for acquiring STIs and unplanned pregnancy.…”

Pregnancy History and Associated Factors Among Hawassa University Regular Undergraduate Female Students, Southern Ethiopia

“…Consistently a study in Addis Ababa supports this finding (6). Other studies state that when parents have better income they usually follow, support and control their child's which reduces exposure of unintended pregnancy (8,10,(34)(35)(36). This might be due to those whose income is from partners might be influenced or forced by their partners due to economic dependency.…”

“…In Africa there is a high incidence of risky sexual behaviors among university Students [9]. Reproductive health-related knowledge gaps among sexually active University female student is an important cause of unintended pregnancy [10][11][12][13]. The outcome of unintended pregnancies is unsafe abortions (3); it is a global social and health burdens [2,3,14].…”