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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Health Statistics
Number55 n July24,2012 This report was updated December 20, 2012.Valueswere corrected on pages 9 and 27; andTables2,3,6,andI,andFigureI,wereupdatedtoreflectcorrectedpercentagesandstandarderrors.
IntendedandUnintendedBirthsintheUnitedStates:19822010
byWilliamD.Mosher,Ph.D.;JoJones,Ph.D.;andJoyceC.Abma,Ph.D.,DivisionofVitalStatistics
AbstractObjectivesThisreportshowstrendssince1982inwhetherawoman
wantedtogetpregnantjustbefore thepregnancyoccurred.Thisis themostdirectmeasureavailableoftheextent towhichwomenareable(orunable)tochoose tohave thenumberofbirthstheywant,when theywantthem.Inthisreport, thisiscalledthestandardmeasureofunintendedpregnancy.
MethodsThedatausedinthisreportareprimarilyfrom the20062010NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth(NSFG),conductedbytheCentersforDiseaseControlandPreventionsNationalCenterforHealthStatistics.The20062010NSFGincluded in-personinterviewswith12,279womenaged1544.Somedatain thetrendanalysesare takenfromNSFGsurveysconductedin1982,1988,1995,and2002.
ResultsAbout37%ofbirths intheUnitedStateswereunintendedat thetimeofconception.Theoverallproportionunintendedhasnotdeclinedsignificantlysince1982.Theproportionunintendeddiddeclinesignificantlybetween1982and20062010amongbirthstomarried,non-Hispanicwhitewomen.Largedifferencesexistbetweengroups inthepercentageofbirthsthatareunintended.Forexample,unmarriedwomen,blackwomen,andwomenwithlesseducationorincomearestillmuchmore likely toexperienceunintendedbirthscomparedwithmarried,white,college-educated,andhigh-incomewomen.Thisreportalsodescribessomealternativemeasuresofunintendedbirthsthatgiveresearchersanopportunitytostudy thistopic innewways.Keywords:unintendedpregnancyunwantedbirthscontraceptiveuseNationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth
IntroductionThisreportprovidessomebasic
statisticsontheextent towhichwomenintheUnitedStatesareable,orunable,tohavethenumberofbirths theywant,whentheywant them.Inthisreport, thismeasure iscalledthestandardmeasureofunintendedpregnancy.
Thereportdescribes trendsandgroupdifferencessince1982inwhetherbirthswere intendedorunintendedandis limited topregnanciesthatendedinlivebirths.Pregnanciesending inmiscarriage,stillbirth,orabortionareexcluded.Research thatincludedallpregnancyoutcomes(13)hasshownthataboutone-halfofallpregnancies intheUnitedStatesareunintendedbythemotherat thetimeshebecomespregnant, includingmorethanone-thirdof livebirths(Table1).Otherstudies(1,46)haveshown thatahigherpercentageofbirthsamong teenagers,unmarriedadults, low-incomeandless-educatedwomen,andblackwomenareunintended,comparedwithmarried,high-income,college-educated,andwhite
women.
Manystudiesonunintended
childbearing(713),includingacomprehensivereviewby theInstituteofMedicine(7)andarecentwhitepaperreviewingmore than60additional
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Page2 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012studiesonthis topic(8),havealsoshown thatbirths thatwereunintendedbythemotherareatelevatedriskofadversesocial,economic,andhealthoutcomesfor themotherand thechild.Unintendedbirthsareassociatedwithdelayedprenatalcare,smokingduringpregnancy,notbreastfeeding thebaby,poorerhealthduringchildhood,andpooreroutcomesforthemotherandthemother-childrelationship(713).Longer-termnegativeconsequencesforchildrenhavebeenfoundbysomelongitudinalstudiesofunintendedpregnancies that trackthechildren intoadulthood(8,12,13).
Reducing thepercentageofallpregnancies thatareunintendedhasbeenoneof theobjectivesof theHealthyPeoplenationalhealth initiativesince itsbeginningin1980(1416).TheHealthyPeopleobjectiveshaveplacedanemphasisonreducingdisparities inunintendedpregnancyamonggroupswithhigher levelsandrates(116),including teenagers,unmarriedadults,and low-incomeandminoritypopulations.In1999,familyplanning(definedastheability toachievedesiredbirthspacingandfamilysize)wasnotedasoneof10achievements inpublichealth inthe20thcenturybecause
of
its
contribution
to
the
health
ofinfants,children,andwomen(17).
Tworecentstudies(18,19)estimatedtheannualcostto taxpayersofunintendedpregnancyandbirthintheUnitedStates.Thecostsexaminedincludedonlycostsforprenatalcare,pregnancy, laboranddelivery,and infantcarefor1yearafterbirth.Thestudiesuseddifferentassumptionsandmethods:oneestimatedthecostsatabout$11.3billion,and theotheratabout$11.1billion,peryear.Theseestimatesexcludealllong-termcostsofunintendedpregnancyandallnonmedicalcostsbecausesuchcostsaremoredifficult toestimate.Evenwhenthecostsarelimitedtoshort-termmedicalcosts,preventingunintendedpregnancyhasbeenshowntobecost-effective.Oneof thestudies(18)estimated thatforeverydollarspentonvoluntaryfamilyplanningservicestopreventunintendedpregnancy,about$4
aresavedinshort-termcoststo thegovernmentformedicalcareforthepregnancyandfor1yearofinfantcareafterthebirth.AsMoneaandThomas(19)andSonfieldetal.(20)havepointedout,manyof thesecostsformedicalcareare incurredbytheMedicaidprogram.Methods
Thedatain thisreportarebasedprimarilyonthe20062010NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth(NSFG),conductedby theCentersforDiseaseControlandPreventions(CDC)NationalCenterforHealthStatistics(NCHS).NSFGisdesigned tocollectdatafromanationalsampleofwomen(and,since2002,men)onfactorsaffectingbirthandpregnancyrates,includingcontraception;infertility;marriage,divorce,andcohabitation;pregnancyoutcomes;andcloselyrelatedhealthtopics(6,21).
NSFG interviewednationalsamplesofwomenaged1544in1973,1976,1982,1988,and1995.In2002and20062010,nationalsamplesofmenwerealsointerviewed.NSFG interviewswereconductedinpersoninrespondentshomes.Since1973,theNSFGquestionnairehasbeenadministeredinbothEnglishandSpanish.
Thisreport isbasedlargelyoninterviewswith12,279womenconductedfromJune2006 throughJune2010,andon the7,643 interviewswithwomen in2002.Interviewinganddatapreparationfor thesurveysin2002and20062010werecarriedoutby theUniversityofMichigansInstituteforSocialResearch(ISR),underacontractwithNCHS(21,22).
The20062010NSFG isbasedonanationally
representative,
multistage,
areaprobabilitysampledrawnfrom110primarysamplingareasacrossthecountry.Thesampleisdesignedtoproducenational(notstate)estimates.The interviewswithwomen lastedanaverageof80minutes,andtheresponseratewasabout78%.More informationabouthow thesurveywasplannedandconducted isavailablein twopreviousreports(21,22).
Thepresentreport isbasedentirelyon theNSFGsamplesofwomen,forthreemainreasons:+ Dataforwomenofallmarital
statuseshavebeenavailablesince1982,allowingthestudyoflonger-term
trends.
In
contrast,
data
for
men
haveonlybeenavailablesince2002.
+ Interviewswithwomencontainmorequestionsaboutpregnancy, includingmultiplemeasuresof intendedandunintendedpregnancy,allowingmoredetailedstudy.
+ Samplesizesarelargerforwomen,especially in importantsubgroupsbyage,maritalstatus,andraceandethnicity.
Limitedfindingsonintendedandunintendedbirthsusingdatafromthe2002NSFGsampleofmenhavebeenpublished(23).Although theoverallpatternsaresimilar to thoseforwomen,thedatafrommendeservemoredetailedstudy.StatisticalAnalysis
Allestimatesofpercentagesandnumbersin thisreportusesamplingweights thataredesigned toproduceunbiasedestimatesfor theapproximately61millionwomenaged1544 in theUnitedStates.ThestatisticalpackageSAS,version9.2(SASInstitute,Cary,NorthCarolina;http://www.sas.com/)wasusedtoproduce theseestimates.Each tableincludesstandarderrorsasameasureof thesamplingvariabilityofeachestimatedpercentage.SUDAANsoftware(RTIInternational,ResearchTrianglePark,NorthCarolina;http://www.rti.org/sudaan/)wasused toestimate thesamplingerrorsbecause ittakes intoaccounttheuseofweighteddata
and
the
complex
design
of
the
sample.
Thesignificanceofdifferencesamongsubgroupswasdeterminedbystandardtwo-tailed t-tests.Noadjustmentsweremadeformultiplecomparisons.Termssuchasgreaterthanandless thanindicatethatastatisticallysignificantdifferencewasfound.Termssuchassimilarornodifferenceindicate that thestatistics
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NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012 Page3(usuallypercentages)beingcomparedwerenotsignificantlydifferent.Lackofcommentregarding thedifferencedoesnotmean thatsignificancewas testedandfoundtobenotsignificant.
Readersshouldnote thesamplingerrorsforsmallgroups.Percentagesarenotshownin tables ifthedenominatorisfewer than75casesorthenumeratorisfewer than5cases.Whenapercentageorotherstatistic isnotshownforthisreason, it isreplacedbyanasterisksignifyingthat thefiguredoesnotmeetstandardsofreliabilityorprecision.Formostof thestatisticsreported,thenumeratorsanddenominatorsaremuchlarger.Asnotedabove,standarderrorsforallestimatesareshownin thetables.
The95%confidence intervalsaroundeachpercentagecanbeconstructedbymultiplying thestandarderrorby1.96andaddingit to,andsubtracting itfrom, thepercentage.Forexample,Table1 indicates that thepercentageofbirths in thelast5yearsthatwereintendedwas62.9%,andthestandarderrorofthatpercentagewas1.51%.Thismeansthatthe95%confidenceintervalofthatpercentage is62.9plusorminus2.96(1.51times1.96),or59.965.9.
Inthe
description
of
results
that
follows,when thepercentagebeingcitedisbelow10%, thetextwillshowtheexactpercentage toonedecimalpoint.Tomakereadingeasierand toremindthereader that theresultsarebasedonsamplesandsubjecttosamplingerror,percentagesabove10%willgenerallybeshownroundedto thenearestwholepercentage.MeasuringUnintendedPregnancy inSurveys
Thisreportmeasuresonlypregnanciesending inlivebirth, inpartbecause it ismoredifficulttocollectreliabledatain thesamedegreeofdetailonthe intendednessofotherpregnancies(24).Otherstudies(13)have includedmiscarriagesandabortions,butinlessdetail than themeasuresshownhereforbirths.
Standardmeasureofunintendedpregnancy
Theresultsshown inTables16arebasedonastandardmeasureofunintendedpregnancy thathasbeenusedinsurveys insomeformfordecades.
Questions
on
intended
and
unintendedpregnanciesendinginlivebirth(calledunintendedbirthsinthisreport)werefirst introduced ina largenationalsurveyof theU.S.populationbyWestoffandRyder inthe1965and1970NationalFertilityStudies(25,26),aftersomewhatsimilarconceptshadbeenusedinsurveysin1941,1955,and1960(27,28).Anearlyversionofquestionsonthis topicwasused inthe1972reportoftheCommissiononPopulationGrowthand theAmericanFuture,whichshowedthat44%ofbirthstomarriedcouples in19661970wereunintended(ref29,p164).Thereportalsoshowed that thepercentageofbirths thatwereunintendedwasmuchlowerformarriedwomenwithmoreeducationthanfor thosewithlesseducation.
Sincethemid-1970s, informationfromNSFGhasbeenused tomeasuretheextentofunintendedfertilityintheUnitedStates(47).Thedatahavealsobeenthesubjectofmanystudies inscientificjournals(citedbelow)andamajorstudyfromtheInstituteofMedicinereferencedearlier(7).Questionssimilarto thoseasked inNSFGhavebeenusedinstudiessuchasCDCsPregnancyRiskAssessmentMonitoringSystem(PRAMS),astate-levelsurveyofsamplesofrecentmothers(http://www.cdc.gov/PRAMS).SimilarconceptsbasedonNSFGdatahavebeenusedbyotherresearchers(e.g.,refs13and30)andbyorganizationssuchas theNationalCampaigntoPreventTeenandUnplannedPregnancy(http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/).
Thestandardmeasureofunintendedpregnancy[usedmoreor lessinthisformsince the1965NationalFertilityStudy(25)]isbasedonaseriesofquestionsthatclassifypregnancies intothreecategories:intended,mistimed,andunwantedmeaningthat thewoman
wantedthepregnancywhenshehadit(intended),later thanshehad it(mistimed),ornever(unwanted)(17).
Thepresentreportshows twopossibleways toimprovemeasuresofunintendedpregnancy.Oneapproach(usedinTables16)is toenhance thestandardmeasurebydividingthemistimedcategoryintotwosubcategories:birthsmistimedby lessthan2years,andthosemistimedby2yearsormore.Researchershaveexamined thesetwocategoriesofmistimedbirthsandhavefoundimportantdifferences.Pulleyetal.(31)calledbirthsmistimedby less than2yearsmoderatelymistimedand thosemistimedby2yearsormoreseriouslymistimed.Theyreported thatbirthsmistimedby2yearsormoreweremorecommonamong teenagers,unmarriedwomen,andblackwomenthanamongmarriedadultsandwhitewomen(31)(alsoseeref6).
Using thisclassificationofmistimedbirths, thestandardmeasurenowhasfourcategories:1. Intendedmeans thepregnancy
occurredatabout thetimethemotherwantedtobecomepregnant.
2. Mistimedby less than2years(moderatelymistimed)means thepregnancyoccurredtoosoonspecifically, less than2yearsbeforethemotherwanted tobecomepregnant.
3. Mistimedby2yearsormore(seriouslymistimed)meansthepregnancyoccurredtoosoonspecifically,2yearsormorebeforethemotherwanted tobecomepregnant.
4. Unwantedmeans themotherneverwantedababy,orababyof thatbirthorder(second,third,fourth,etc.).Thebasicfindingsofthisreportare
shown(Tables16)using thestandardfour-categorymeasureofunintendedpregnancy.Thespecificquestionsonwhich thestandardmeasureisbasedaregivenbelow.Thequestionsarefrom theNSFGFemaleQuestionnaire;questionnairewording isin italics.Notethatwomencouldbeusing,ornot
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Page4 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012using,contraceptionat thetimeofthepregnancy.Forwomenwhohadusedcontraceptionsometimebefore thepregnancy, thefirstquestion isEG2.EG2Beforeyoubecamepregnant...hadyoustoppedusingallmethodsofbirthcontrol?Yes (gotoquestionEG3/EG5)No (gotoEG6)
Forwomenwhohadneverusedcontraception,orhadstoppedusingcontraceptionbeforethepregnancy, thefirstquestion isEG3/EG5,andthewording isdidnotuse.EG3/EG5Was thereasonyou(didnotuse/stoppedusing)allmethodsofbirthcontrolbecauseyouyourselfwantedtobecomepregnant?Yes (gotoEG10)No (gotoINTR_EG2)
INTR_EG2Thenextfewquestionsare important.Theyareabouthowyoufeltrightbeforeyoubecamepregnant.
EG6Rightbeforeyoubecamepregnant...,didyouyourselfwanttohavea(nother)babyatanytime inthefuture?Yes (gotoEG10)No (skippedtonextseriesof
questions)[Pregnancywasunwanted]
Dontknow/notsure(gotoEG7,notshown, thatasks ifsheprobablywanted,orprobablydidntwant,ababyatsome timein thefuture.Ifprobablynot,pregnancywasunwanted; ifprobablyyes,gotoEG10.Ifsheresponded thatshedidntcare,pregnancywascodedas intended.
EG10Sowouldyousay thatyoubecamepregnant toosoon,atabout therighttime,or laterthanyouwanted?Toosoon(gotoEG11)[Pregnancy
wasmistimed]
Right time[Pregnancywasintended]Later[Pregnancywas intended]Didntcare[Pregnancywas intended]
EG11Howmuchsoonerthanyouwanteddidyoubecomepregnant?(Months/years)
Fourexamplesaregiven toillustratehow thequestionswork:+ Ifthewomanstoppedusing
contraception(EG2=yes)orhadnotusedcontraceptionbecauseshewanted tobecomepregnant(EG3/EG5=yes)andthepregnancyoccurredatabout theright time inherlife(EG10=righttime),thenthepregnancywas intended.
+ Ifthewomanstoppedusingcontraception
(EG2
=
yes)
or
had
notusedcontraceptionbutnotbecauseshewantedtobecomepregnant(EG3/EG5=no),andshebecamepregnant toosoon(EG10=toosoon)byabout1year(EG11=12months), then thepregnancywasmistimedby less than2years.
+ Ifthewomanwasstillusingcontraception(EG2=no)andwanted tohaveababyeventually(EG6=yes)butnotforanother5years(EG10= toosoonandEG11=5years),then thepregnancywasmistimedby2yearsormore.
+ Ifthewomanbecamepregnantwithherthirdbaby,wasstillusingcontraception(EG2=no),andonlywanted twochildren(EG6=no),then thethirdbirthwasunwanted.
Theterminologyusedtodescribethestandardmeasureindifferentscientificjournals,andbydifferentresearchers,varies.Somecalltheconceptthewantednessofpregnancies;
others
call
it
intendedness.Somecall intendedpregnanciesplannedandunintendedpregnanciesunplanned.Somealsolabelintendedpregnanciesaspregnanciesoccurringat therighttimeorsimplyrighttime,withmistimedbeingwantedlater,andunwantedbeingneverwanted.
Theseparaphrasesaregenerallyaccurate.Theyconvey that intendedness
isameasureofwhen(ifever)thewomanwantedtobecomepregnant.Thisreportuses thelabelsintended,mistimed,andunwantedbecausetheyareusedmostoftenin theliteratureandhavebeenusedinpreviousNCHSpublications(46,910).Thefollowingsummarizeshowthe termscorrespondtoeachother:Termused in Equivalentthisreport term(s)
Intended Planned;at therighttime;wanted then
Unintended UnplannedMistimed Wanted laterUnwanted Neverwanted
Alternativemeasuresofunintendedpregnancy
Thesecondwayinwhichsomeresearchershavesought toimprove themeasurementofunintendedpregnancy istoconstructacompletelynewsetofmeasures(28,3036).In1999,BachrachandNewcomer(ref33,p252)suggestedanapproachsimilarto that takeninthepresentreport:
Theresearchevidenceclearlydemonstratesthattheintendednessofapregnancy(asmeasuredbytheNSFG)isacontinuuminvolvingatleasttwodimensionsintentionalityorplanningplusanaffectivedimensionexpressinghappinessordismayatbeingpregnant...However,theresearchtodatereassuresusthattheintentionalityandaffectivedimensionsofthe...measurearerelatedinfact,stronglyrelated.Wethinkthisjustifiescontinueduseofthe(standard)measure.Atthesametime...researchersshouldcontinuetheireffortstoexpandapproaches totheseconceptsandtodevelopimprovedwaysofmeasuringthem.
Inresponsetosuggestionssuchasthese,both thestandardmeasureofunintendedpregnancyandthealternativemeasureswere includedinthe2002and20062010NSFGsurveys.ThealternativemeasuresarepresentedinTable7 toencouragefurtherresearchusingthem.Thealternativequestions(askedforpregnanciesendinginthe3yearsbeforethesurvey)areasfollows:
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NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012 Page5EG21Lookat thescaleoncard40,wherea0meanstryinghardNOTtogetpregnant,and10meanstryinghardtogetpregnant.Ifyouhadtoratehowmuchyouwere trying togetpregnantoravoidpregnancy,howwouldyourateyourself?
EG22Lookat thescaleoncard41wherea0meansyouwanted toavoidapregnancyanda10meansyouwantedtogetpregnant.Ifyouhad toratehowmuchyouwantedordidntwantapregnancyrightbeforeyougotpregnant that time,howwouldyourateyourself?
EG13Please lookat thescaleoncard39.On thisscale,a1meansthatyouwereveryunhappy tobepregnant,anda10means thatyouwereveryhappy tobepregnant.Tellmewhichnumberon thecardbestdescribeshowyoufeltwhenyoufoundoutyouwerepregnant.
Here,thesemeasuresarereferredtoas:+ Trying togetpregnantorthe
tryingscale.+ Wanting togetpregnantorthe
wantingscale.+ Happinessatbeingpregnantor
thehappinessscale.Notethat thetryingandwanting
scalesbothmeasurethewomansbehaviorandattitudejustbeforeshebecamepregnantasdoesthestandardmeasureofunintendedpregnancy.Incontrast, thethirdscalemeasuresherhappinessjustaftershebecameawarethatshewaspregnant.AsnotedabovefromBachrachandNewcomer(33),these threescalesarestronglycorrelatedwitheachother,butresearchersandclinicianshaveobserved thatsomecouplesexhibitambivalent, inconsistent,orindifferentbehaviorandattitudes.Havingmore thanonescale,andmakingthemeasurescontinuous,allowswomeninsurveystoreportsuchcomplexitywhileretainingthestandardmeasureforcomparisonsovertime.
Questionsregardingmalepartners
NSFGalso includedseveralquestionsaboutthefatherofthebirth.Thesemeasurescanbeusedwitheitherthestandardmeasureorthealternativemeasures.
Following
the
questions
about
whethershewantedeachpregnancy,awomanwasasked:INTROWTH_1Sometimeshowpeoplefeelabouthavingababyingeneralcanbedifferentfromhow theyfeelabouthavingababywithacertainpartner.
EG12aRightbeforethepregnancy,didyou(thinkyoumightever)want tohaveababywith thatpartner?Wouldyousay...Definitelyyes,Probablyyes,Probablyno,orDefinitelyno?
Womenwerealsoasked thefollowingquestions,fromwhichameasuresimilarto thestandardmeasureforwomenwasformedforherperceptionofthefatherswantednessofthepregnancy:EG16Rightbeforeyoubecamepregnant,didthefatherwantyou tohaveababyatany time inthefuture?Yes(go toEG17)No (go tonextseriesofquestions)
[Pregnancywasunwanted]Dontknow/notsure(go tonextseries
ofquestions)[Dontknowfatherswantednessof thepregnancy]
EG17Sowouldyousayyoubecamepregnantsooner thanhewanted,atabouttheright time,orlater thanhewanted?Sooner[Pregnancywasmistimed]Right time[Pregnancywasintended]Later[Pregnancywasintended]Didntcare[Pregnancywas intended]
Onlytimeandfurtherresearchwilltellwhetherthesealternativequestionsarenecessary tounderstandandexplaintrendsandgroupdifferencesin theintendednessofbirths(27,32,33).Timeperiodsforanalysis
Thequestionsusedin thestandardmeasureofunintendedpregnancywereaskedinNSFGforallbirths(andotherpregnancies) toallwomenin thesample.Inthisreport,however,statisticsonthisstandardmeasureareshownforbirthsinthe5yearsbefore the interviewbecause5yearsofbirthsyieldenoughcasestoobtainreliablestatistics(4,587birthsin20062010and2,818in2002),butchangesovertime, ifany,canbeseen;andeachwoman in thesamplehasthesamelengthoftime(5yearsor60months) tohaveabirth.Forwomeninterviewedin thefirstmonthofinterviewing inJune2006,birthsfromJune2001throughJune2006areincluded.Forwomeninterviewed inMay2010,birthsfromMay2005 toMay2010areincluded.Theaveragedateofinterviewforwomen interviewedin20062010wasinMay2008.Theaveragebirthinthelast5yearsoccurredinNovember2005,about2yearsbeforetheaveragedateofinterview.
Thealternativemeasures,on theotherhand,requireseveraladditionalquestionsforeachpregnancy.If theywereaskedofeverypregnancyforeverywoman, the interviewwouldbecome toolong.Tominimize the timeburdenof thequestions, thealternativemeasureswere limited tobirthsinthe3yearsbeforethe interview.StrengthsandLimitationsofThisReport
Becausethedata inthisreportcomefromNSFG, thereporthas thefollowingstrengths:+ Thedataaredrawnfrominterviews
withlargenationalsamplesofwomen,selectedbyrigorousprobabilitysamplingmethods,so theestimatescanbegeneralizedto the
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Page6 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012householdpopulationofwomenaged1544.In20062010,atotalof12,279womenwereinterviewed.
+ The interviewswereconducted inperson ineitherEnglishorSpanishbyfemale interviewerswhoreceivedthoroughtrainingonthesurvey,sothequalityofthedataisgenerallyverygood.
+ The20062010responserateforwomenwas78%,which isconsideredhighandsuggests that thedataformoststatisticscanbegeneralizedtothepopulationwithconfidence.
+ NSFGhasdatathatallow trendsanddifferences tobedescribedbysuchcharacteristicsas thewomansageandmaritalandcohabitingstatusatthetimeofthebirth,herrace,andhereducationandhouseholdincomeat thetimeoftheinterview.
Thereporthas thefollowinglimitations:+ Thedatawerelimitedtopregnancies
ending inlivebirth.Datawerecollectedthatallowsomeanalysesofotherpregnancies,butinterpretingthesedatawouldrequirefurtherdiscussion.Accordingtorecentresearch(1),aboutone-halfofallunintendedpregnanciesend inabortion,while theotherone-halfendin
alive
birth,
miscarriage,
or
stillbirth.ThereportingofabortionsinNSFG(andothersurveys) isnotcomplete,sothepresentreportfocusesonlivebirths.However,groupsofwomenthathavehighratesofunintendedbirths[e.g.,unmarriedwomen,blackwomen,Hispanic(orLatina)women,andthoseaged1524]also tendtohavehigherabortionratesthanthecontrastinggroups(marriedwomen,whitewomen,andwomenaged2544)(37).
+ Thereportis intendedtopresentsomebasicstatisticalfactsontrendsanddifferences inintendedandunintendedbirthsintheUnitedStates.Itdoesnotperformcausalormultivariatestatisticalanalyses.Thefindingsshownhere,however,areconsistentwiththelargebodyofresearchonunintendedbirthscitedearlier,muchofwhichdidusemultivariatecontrols(713,30,31).
+ NSFGisdesigned toprovidestatisticallyreliablenationalestimates;thesamplewasnotdesigned toprovidestateorlocal-areaestimates.
ResultsTrendsintheproportionof
pregnanciesendingin livebirths(hereafter, theproportionofbirths)thatwereintended,mistimed,orunwantedareshown inTable1.Tables24showresultsfor2002and20062010bythemothersageandmaritalstatusat thetimeof thebirth,herraceandethnicity,hereducation,herfamilys income,andthebirthorderof thechild.Table5displaysdetailedcategoriesof thestandardmeasureofunintendedbirths.Table6containsdataonreasonsfornonuseofcontraceptionleadingtounintendedbirths.Table7showstherelationshipbetweenthestandardmeasureofunintendedpregnancyandthealternativemeasures.Table8displaysdataonsomeof theconsequencesofunintendedpregnancyforthemotherand theinfant.Finally,Table9presentsaprofileof intendedandunintendedbirths thatshows thecharacteristicsof thesecategoriesofbirths.Definitionsforsomeofthetechnical termsused in thisreportaregiven intheTechnicalNotes.
Table1showsthepercentdistributionamongallwomenofpregnanciesendingin livebirths,bytheintendednessof thepregnancy,for thefivemostrecentNSFGsurveys(1982,1988,1995,2002,and20062010).Therewerefewchangesbetween1982and20062010overall inthedistributionofpregnanciesbyintendedness.Forexample,lookingatthe
20062010
row,
63%
of
all
births
in
the5yearsbeforethe interviewwereintendedby themotherthat is,shewanted thepregnancy tooccurwhenitdid.Another23%weremistimedthatis,shewantedtohaveapregnancyeventually,butnotthen.Finally,14%ofbirthswerefrompregnanciesthatwereunwantedthatis, themotherdidnotwanttohavethatpregnancy thenoratany time inthefuture.Thiscompareswith64%intended,27%mistimed,and
10%unwantedbirthsin1982.(Thedatafor1995inTable1areshownin italicsbecauseresearchsuggests thatthe1995datamayshowabiastowardhigherpercentages intended,formethodologicalreasons.SeetheTechnicalNotesforfurtherdetails.)
Unwantedandmistimedpregnanciesending inlivebirthareoftencombinedandreferredtoasunintendedbirths,asnotedaboveintheMeasuringUnintendedPregnanciesinSurveyssectionofthisreport.In20062010,37%ofbirthswerefromunintendedpregnancies(Table1),comparedwith37%in1982.Thus,therewasnostatisticallysignificantchangein thepercentageofbirthsintendedorunintendedin this28-yearperiod.However, thisapparent lackofchangefrom1982to20062010maskstwotrendsthatmoved inoppositedirectionsduringtheperiod:+ An increasein thepercentageof
birthsthatwereintendedamongnon-Hispanicwhiteever-marriedwomen.
+ Adecreaseintheproportionofbirthsthatoccurred towhiteever-marriedwomenbecauseofanincreaseinbirthstonever-marriedwomen.Datafrom theNationalVitalStatisticsSystemshowthat theproportionofallbirthsoccurring tounmarriedwomen(mostofwhomwerenever-married) rosefrom18% in1980 to41% in2009(3840).Becausemostofthebirthstonever-marriedwomenareunintended,therisingproportionofbirthstounmarriedwomen tendedtoreducethepercentageofallbirthsthatwereintended.
Thesetwochangesaredescribedin turn.First,Table1showsbirthsto
womenwhohadeverbeenmarried in1982and20062010(alsoseeFigure1).Amongnon-Hispanicwhitewomen,thepercentageintendedincreasedsignificantly,from72% in1982to78%in20062010.Amongnon-Hispanicblackever-marriedwomen,thepercentageintendedwas59%in1982and66%in20062010,which isnotastatisticallysignificantchange.Changes
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NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012 Page7
0
10
20
30
40
50
Mistimed
Unwanted
1982 2006
2010
Total
8 9
2216
30
25
1982 2006
2010
Non-Hispanic
white
6 6
2215
29
22
1982 2006
2010
Non-Hispanic
black
16
26
23
41
12
35
NOTES: Refer to Table 1.Percentages may not sum to total unintended due to rounding.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 1982 and 20062010.
Percent
1982 2006
2010
Hispanic
1116
1818
29
34
Figure1.Percentageofbirthstoever-marriedwomenthatwereunintended(unwantedormistimed)atconception,totalandbyraceofmother:UnitedStates,1982and20062010amongever-marriedHispanicwomenfrom1982to20062010werealsonotstatisticallysignificant.Statedanotherway, thepercentageofbirths thatwereunintendeddeclinedsignificantlyamongnon-Hispanicwhiteever-marriedwomen(Figure1).
Second,noteinTable1thatnon-Hispanicwhiteever-marriedwomenhad12.175millionbirths inthe5yearsbefore the1982survey,whichwas66%ofall18.442millionbirths inthoseyears,comparedwith9.099millionbirthsin the5yearsbeforethe2006
2010survey,whichwas43%ofall21.161millionbirths inthoseyears.Theproportionofbirthstoever-marriedwhitewomendecreasedoverthesedecadesbecausebirthstonever-marriedwomenwereincreasing,from16% in1982(2.955million tonever-marriedwomen in the5yearsbefore1982,outof18.442millionbirthsin thoseyears),to35%ofbirths inthe5yearsbeforethe20062010survey(7.311millionbirthsoutof21.161million).Thus,theproportionofbirths intendeddidincrease inonelargegroup
NOTE: Refer to Table 2.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 20062010.
Perc
ent
1519 2024 2544 Married Cohabiting Not marriedor cohabiting
23
50
75 77
49
33
0
20
40
60
80
Age (years) Marital status
Figure2.Percentageofbirthsthatwere intendedatconception,bymothersageandmaritalstatusatbirth:UnitedStates,20062010
ever-marriednon-Hispanicwhitewomenbetween1982and20062010,but thatgroupaccountedforadecreasingproportionofallbirths.
Dataonbirthsin the5yearsbeforethe interviewforthe2002and20062010surveysareshownby theageofthemotheratbirth,andhermaritalstatusatbirth, inTable2andFigure2.Only23%ofbirths to teenmotherswere intendedin20062010(Figure2),and77%(nearlyfourinfive)wereunintended.Amongbirthstoyoungadultwomenaged2024,50%wereintended(Figure2),andatages2544,75%wereintended.Thesepercentagesarevirtuallyunchangedfrom thepercentages intendedbyagein2002.Thefigureatage2024 isparticularlynoteworthybecauseitmeans that50%ofthe5.2millionbirths towomenaged2024 inthatperiod(about2.6millionbirthsin5years)wereunintended.Notealsothat51%ofbirthsto teenagers in20062010weremistimedby2ormoreyearsthat is, theteenmotherwantedthebirthtooccuratleast2yearslaterthan itdidcomparedwith22%ofbirthstowomenaged2024and4.8%towomenaged2544.
Table2alsoshowsbirthsbywhether themotherwasmarried,cohabiting,
or
neither
at
the
time
of
the
birth in2002and in20062010.Notethatthenumberofbirthstocohabitingwomenaged1544 increasedfrom2.998millionin2002 to4.950millionfrom2002to20062010,whichisanincreasefrom14%ofbirthsin2002to23% in20062010.About77%ofbirthstowomenwhoweremarriedatthe timeofthebirthwereintended in20062010,comparedwith49%ofbirths towomenwhowerecohabitingatthebirthand33%towomenwhowereunmarriedandnotcohabiting(Figure2).Birthstowomenaged2544weremorelikely tobe intendedthanbirthstowomenunderage25,formarried,cohabiting,andunmarriedwomen(Table2).Births tomarriedwomenaremorelikely tobe intendedthanbirthstounmarriedwomen,andbirthstowomenaged2544aremore likely tobeintendedthanbirthstoyoungerwomen.
Thedifferencesbyageandmaritalstatusareoftenlarge(Table2):
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Page8 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012
NOTES: Refer to Table 3. Education is measured at time of interview.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2002 and 20062010.
Percent
5864
67
86
59 6063
83
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Less than high
school diploma
High school
diploma
Some college College degree
2002 20062010
Figure3.Percentageofbirthsthatwere intendedatconception,byeducationofmother:UnitedStates,2002and20062010+ Amongbirthstowomenaged1524,
60%ofbirthstomarriedwomenwere intended,comparedwith42%ofbirthstocohabitingwomenand21%tounmarriednoncohabitingwomen.
+ Amongbirthstowomenaged25andover,81%ofbirths tomarriedwomenwereintended,comparedwith59%ofbirthstocohabitingwomenand52%tounmarriednoncohabitingwomen.
Informationonthe intendednessofbirthsbytheeducationof themother,forwomenaged2244at thedateofinterview,isdisplayed inTable3.(Womenaged1521areoftenstill inschool,sotheyareexcludedfrom thesestatistics.Also,becauseeducation ismeasuredatthedateofinterview,somewomenmayhavehadlesseducationatthedateofthebirththanat thedateofinterview.)Births towomenwithacollegedegreearesignificantlymorelikelytobe intended thanbirths toless-educatedwomen.In20062010,59%63%ofbirthswereintendedforwomenwhohadnotcompletedhighschool,hadahighschooldiploma,orattendedsomecollege,comparedwith83%ofbirthstomotherswithacollegedegreeorhigher(Figure3).
In20062010,about17%ofbirthstowomenwithahighschooldiplomawereunwanted,comparedwith4.0%ofbirths towomenwithacollegedegree.Anadditional13%ofbirths towomenwithahighschooldiplomaweremistimedby2yearsormore,comparedwithjust2.9%ofbirthstocollegegraduates.Clearly,inboth2002and20062010womenwithacollegedegreeweremoreoftensuccessful inhavingchildrenonlywhen theyintendedtohave them,comparedwithwomenwithlesseducation.
DataarealsoshowninTable3bybirthorder,thatis,whetherthebirthwas thewomansfirst,second,orthirdorhigherbirth.Amongfirstbirths,61%wereintended in20062010,while22%weremistimedby2yearsormoreand8.8%wereunwantedindicating that31%offirstbirthsoccurred2yearsormorebefore themotherwanted them,ortheywerenotwantedever.Thepercentageofbirths thatwereunwantedatconceptionwas9%forfirstbirths,11%forsecondbirths,and23%amongthirdor laterbirths.
Changeswithincategoriesofbirthorderweregenerallynotstatisticallysignificantbetween2002and20062010.Changesbetweenthetwodates
withincategoriesofeducationwerealsogenerallynotstatisticallysignificant.
The intendednessofbirthsvariesconsiderablyby theraceandethnicityofthemother(Table4).Forexample,in20062010 thepercentageofbirths thatwere intendedvariedfrom69%ofbirthstonon-Hispanicwhitewomen, to57%forHispanicwomenand47%forblackwomen.Thedifferencesin2002showasimilarpattern.
Birthstowhitewomenare lesslikelytobereportedasunwanted,orasmistimedbymorethan2years[whatPulleyetal.(31)callseriouslymistimed].Thepercentageofbirthsthatwereunwantedwas9.3%amongnon-Hispanicwhitewomen,comparedwith18%amongHispanicand23%amongblackwomen.In20062010,birthsmistimedby2yearsormoreaccountedfor11%ofbirthsamongwhitewomen,17%amongHispanicwomen,and22%amongblackwomen.AsshowninFigure4,addingthese twocategories together, thepercentageofbirthsin20062010thatwereeitherunwantedormistimedby2yearsormorewas:+ 20%amongnon-Hispanicwhite
women.+ 35%amongHispanicwomen.+ 45%amongblackwomen.Thesedifferencesmayberelated to thelowerlevelsofeducationandincomeamongHispanicandblackwomencomparedwithwhitewomen,aswellasthehigherproportionsofbirthstounmarriedblackwomen.
Table4containsdatafor2002and20062010bycurrentfamilyincome,expressedasapercentageofthepovertylevel.Thoseat0%99%ofthepovertylevelarebelowpoverty,whereasthoseat400%ofpovertyorhigherhaveincomesat leastfour times thepovertylevel.In2008(themidpointofinterviewingfor the20062010NSFG),thepoverty levelwas$14,489forafamilyof twoand$22,025forafamilyoffour.(Thisanalysis islimited towomenaged2044becausewomenaged1519oftendonotknow theirfamilys income.Incomeismeasuredatthedateofinterviewbecause itis
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50
45
40
35
17
Mistimed by 2
years or more30
22
2020
11Unwanted23
10 18
9
0Non-Hispanic Hispanic Non-Hispanic
white black
NOTES: Refer to Table 4. Percentages may not sum to total unwanted and mistimed by 2 years or more, due to rounding.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 20062010.
Figure4.Percentageofbirthsthatwereunwantedormistimedby2yearsormoreatconception,byHispanicoriginandraceofmother:UnitedStates,20062010
Percent
NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012 Page9
unknownatthetimeofthebirth,but itisunlikelytobedifferentformostwomenbecausethecategoriesofincomearebroadroughlyequalto$20,000.)
In20062010,53%ofbirthsin theprevious5years towomencurrentlylivingbelow thepovertylevelwereintended,
compared
with
82%
of
births
towomenwithcurrentfamilyincomesat400%ofpovertyorhigher.Differencesbyincomeintheproportionofbirthsthatwereunwantedormistimedby2yearsormorewerelarge:38%ofbirthstowomen livinginhouseholdswith incomesbelowpoverty(0%99% inTable4)wereeitherunwanted(20%)ormistimedby2yearsormore(18%),comparedwith9.4%ofbirths towomenlivingat400%ofthepovertylevelorhigher(4.3%unwantedand5.1%mistimedby2yearsormore).
NSFGprovidesadditionaldetailinthe intendedcategory(Table5) to furtherdistinguishthetimingofbirthsformarriedandunmarriedmothersbybirthorder.Overall,63%ofallbirthswere intended,with53%occurring,according tothewoman,attherighttime(i.e.,aboutwhenshewanted ittohappen);9.5%werewantedearlier(i.e.,it tookherlonger togetpregnantthan
shewanted);andjust0.9%didntcarewhethertheygotpregnantatthattime.Furtherstudyof thewantedearliercategory iswarranted,butfor thisreportitisnoteworthythatonly1%ofwomensaid theydidntcarewhether theirpregnancyoccurredwhenitdidoratsomeothertime.
Amongfirst
births
to
married
women,84%were intendedand16%wereunintended(Figure5).Amongfirstbirths tounmarriedwomen,38%wereintendedand62%wereunintended(Figure6).Althoughonly7.1%offirstbirths tomarriedwomenweremistimedby2yearsormore(theyoccurred2yearsormore toosoon),39%offirstbirths tounmarriedwomenweremistimedby2yearsormore(Figures5and6).
Ifawomanhadtwochildrenandwantednomore,buthada thirdchild,that thirdbirthisclassifiedasunwanted.Similarly, ifshehadthreechildrenandwantednomore,buthadafourthbirth,thatfourthbirthisclassifiedasunwanted.Theproportionofunwantedbirths tomarriedwomenwas1.7%forfirstbirths,4.1%forsecondbirths,and17%forthirdandhigherbirths.Thismay indicatethatmarriedwomen,priorto their thirdor laterpregnancy,intendtohaveonlytwochildren.Thepattern
bybirthorderwassimilarforunmarriedwomen,buttheproportionsunwantedweremuchhigher:16%offirstbirths,25%ofsecondbirths,and35%ofthirdandlaterbirthstounmarriedwomenwereunwanted(Figures5and6andTable5).NonuseofContraceptionandUnintendedBirths
AmongwomenwhohadunintendedbirthsintheUnitedStatesin19982002,about40%wereusingcontraception,whichmeansthat60%werenot(ref1,p92).It isuseful toexaminethereasonsfornonuseofcontraceptionamongwomenwhodidnotuseamethodbefore theirmostrecentunintendedbirth(Table6).[Otherresearchers(41)haveusedNSFGtostudy therateofunintendedpregnancywhenwomenareusingspecificcontraceptivemethods,termedcontraceptivefailurerates.]
Ifawomangavebirthwithin3yearsof theinterview,becamepregnantinamonthwhenshewasnotusingcontraception,andindicatedthat thepregnancywasmistimedorunwanted,shewasshownacardlistingreasonsoftengivenfornonuseofcontraceptionandasked
Whichof thefollowingstatementsappliestoyourightbeforeyoubecamepregnant that time?Thecardlistedthefollowingreasons,andshecouldchoosemore thanonereason:Youdidnotexpect tohavesex.Youdidnot thinkyoucouldgetpregnant.Youdidntreallymind ifyougotpregnant.Youwereworriedabout thesideeffectsofbirthcontrol.Yourmalepartnerdidnotwantyou touseabirthcontrolmethod.Yourmalepartnerhimselfdidnotwanttouseabirthcontrolmethod.
Fromthis list, thewomanwasasked tochoosethereasonsshewasnotusingcontraception.ArelativelysmallgroupofwomenisrepresentedinTable6(about2.442millionover3years,orabout814,000peryear,which isabout
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0
10
20
40
70
60
50
35
7
17Perce
nt
3023 Unwanted
20
6
7 16 4 Mistimed by2 years or more4
72
Mistimed by12 1110 less than 2 years8
All birth orders 1st birth 2nd birth 3rd or higher birth
NOTES: Refer to Table 5.Percentages may not sum to total unintended due to rounding and the inclusion of cases where
amount mistimed cannot be calculated.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 20062010.
Figure5.Timingofunintendedbirthsbybirthorder,formarriedwomen:UnitedStates,20062010
0
10
20
30
40
50
Unwanted
Percent
70
62
60 57
16
57
24
26
39
Mistimed by less
15
8 7 9 8 than 2 years
35
50
16
25
Mistimed by 2years or more
All birth orders 1st birth 2nd birth 3rd or higher birth
NOTES: Refer to Table 5. Percentages may not sum to total unintended due to rounding and the inclusion of cases where
amount mistimed cannot be calculated.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 20062010.
Figure6.Timingofunintendedbirthsbybirthorder,forunmarriedwomen:UnitedStates,20062010
Page10 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012+ Themostcommonreasonawoman
gavefornotusingcontraceptionwasthatshedidnotthink(she)couldgetpregnant.Therewasnosignificantvariationin thepercentageofwomenwhogavethisreasonby
unintendedpregnancybecausetheydidntreallymindgettingpregnantappear tobegivingan inconsistentanswer.Butthereasonsfornonuseof
age,maritalstatus,orincome.
(49%,comparedwith35%ofwhite
However,Hispanicwomenweremore likely thanotherstosaytheydidnotthink theycouldgetpregnant
+ Thedataalsosuggestthatwomenwithsomecollegeeducationwerewomenand25%ofblackwomen).
lesslikelytosaytheydidnot think(they)couldgetpregnant(26%)thanwomenwithahighschooleducationorless(42%).
+ Womenwhowereneithermarriednorcohabitingwere themostlikelytosay that theydidnotexpect tohavesex(32%,comparedwith11%ofmarriedwomenorcohabitingwomen).
+ Atfirst, thosewhosaidtheydidnot
related things.Among thesmallgroupwhowerenotusingcontra-
usecontraceptionbeforean
contraception,andtheintentionsaboutpregnancy,areelicitedbyquestions
that
ask
about
different
but
ceptionbeforeapregnancythatwas
19.2%ofthe4.25millionbirthseachyear; in2008,therewere4,247,694,or4.25millionbirths).Ofthis19.2%ofbirths,womengave thefollowingreasonsfor theirnonuseofcontraception:+ About36%said theydidnot think
theycouldgetpregnant(19.2%36%isabout6.9%ofallbirths,orabout290,000births inayear).
+ 23%saidtheydidntreallymindifIgotpregnant(19.2%23% isabout4.4%ofallbirths).
+ 17%didnotexpect tohavesex(about3.3%ofbirths).
+ 14%(2.7%ofbirths)wereworriedabout thesideeffectsofbirthcontrol.
+ 8.0%saidhermalepartnerdidntwanttousebirthcontrolhimself.
+ 5.3%saidhermalepartnerdidntwanther tousebirthcontrol.
Lookingatvariations inthesereasonsby thecharacteristicsofthewomenreveals thefollowing:
mistimedby lessthan2years,55%saidtheydidntreallymindgettingpregnant,whereasamongwomenwhosaidthepregnancywasmistimedby2yearsormore,just12%gavethisreason;andamongthosewhowerenotusingcontraceptionbeforeanunwantedpregnancy,only7.6%saidtheydidntreallymind.
+ Thevariations inthepercentageswhodidntreallymindhavinganunintendedpregnancyshowthatwomenwhogave thisreasonweremore likely tohaveapartnerorspouse,higher income,andmoreeducation,andweretryingtopostponethepregnancybyayearortwo,comparedwithwomenwhodidnotgive thisreasonfornonuse.
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Happiness when found out pregnant (110 scale)
How hard trying to get or avoid pregnancy right before (010 scale)
How much wanted to get or avoid pregnancy right before (010 scale)
Meanscalevalue
0
2
4
6
8
9.4
7.2
5.8
4.8
10
8.2
7.5
4.6
4.0 2.7
2.3
2.6
1.9
Intended Mistimed by less Mistimed by 2 Unwantedthan 2 years years or more
NOTE: Refer toTable 7.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 20062010.
Figure7.Meanscalevalueofalternativemeasuresofunintendedpregnancyforeachcategoryofthestandardmeasureofunintendedpregnancy:UnitedStates,20062010
NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012 Page11Thequestions inTable6allowed
womentoreporttwoormorereasonsfor theirnonuseofcontraception.If theanswersare limited toonereasonperwoman, theproportionwhoseprimaryreasonwas thattheydidntreallymindgettingpregnantdropsfrom23%(whenmorethanonereasoniscollected) to17%,or3.2%ofallbirths.Lookingonlyatmothersofbirths thatweremistimedby less than2years,39%ofthesewomengaveIdidntreallymindgettingpregnantastheironlyreasonfornonuseofcontraception(comparedwith55%whenmorethanonereasonwascollected).
Thisapparent inconsistencyfor3.2%4.4%ofbirths isnotsurprisingforafewreasons.Themultidimensionalnatureofintendedness(33) isbeingrepresented:intentionalitymaybebettermeasuredby thequestionsin thestandardmeasureofunintendedpregnancy,whereastheaffective(emotional)dimensionmaybesurfacingwhenwomenconsider thequestionposingvariousreasonsfortheirnonuseofcontraception.Finally,whenunintendedissubdivided into thecategoriesofmistimed less than2yearsandmistimed2yearsormore, thosewhoweremostlikelytogivethisreasonwere
those
whose
pregnancy
was
moderatelymistimed(itoccurredlessthan2yearstoosoon).Thisshowsthevalueofhavingmultipletypesofmeasuresanddevelopingmeaningfulsubcategories.Researchusingthealternativemeasuresdiscussed inthisreportmayshedfurtherlightonfindingssuchasthis.
ThefindingsinTable6aresimilartothose inastudyofdatacollectedfrom26states in20002002(42),whichstrengthens thefindingsofbothstudies.Bothstudieswerebasedon largesamplesofwomenandusedsimilarlistsofreasonsfornonuseofcontraception.Thepresentstudy,however,advancesresearch inthisareabyincludingmeasurestoclassifymistimedbirthsasmistimedby lessthan2yearsorby2yearsormore,anditalso includesIdidnotexpect tohavesexasareasonfornonusethe thirdmost-citedreasoninthisreport.
AlternativeMeasuresofUnintendedPregnancy
Thissectioncomparestheresultsforintendednessofpregnancies,usingthestandardmeasureofunintendedpregnancy(Tables16)andthealternativemeasuresbasedon theattitudinalscalequestionsdescribed intheMethodssection.Asdiscussedearlier, thealternativemeasureswereadded toNSFGtoprovideadifferentapproachformeasuring intendedness.Thisapproachhasatleastthreedistinctivefeatures:+ Numericalscalesareusedto indicate
thestrengthoffeelings.+ Separatequestionsareaskedabout
threeof thespecificelementsthatarethought tocontributetoapregnancybeing intendedorunintended(30,3336).
+ Questionsareaddedabout thewomanspartnersattitudesabout thepregnancy.
BasedontheobservationsofBachrachandNewcomer(33)andothers(6,3436),positivefeelingstoward thepregnancyon thestandardmeasure(an intendedpregnancy)shouldbeassociatedwithpositivefeelingsoneachof thealternativemeasures:
wanting,trying,andhappiness(withvaluesof,forexample,710).Conversely,negativefeelingsonthestandardmeasure(unwanted,ormistimedby2yearsormore)shouldbeassociatedwithnegativefeelingsoneachofthealternativemeasures(withvaluesof,forexample,03).
Table7
displays
the
average
(mean)
valueof thethreeattitudinalscalesdescribedearlier thatmeasuretheseimportantelementsofintendedness.Table7andFigure7showthatthesethreescalesand thestandardmeasureofintendednessarestronglycorrelated:theymeasurewomenspositiveandnegativefeelingstowardpregnancies,buteachscalemeasuresaslightlydifferentaspectof thosefeelings(30,32,36).
Thefirstscale,wanted togetpregnant,measureshowmuch thewomanwanted(i.e.,desired) toget(ortoavoidgetting)pregnantjustbeforeshegotpregnant.Note thatwantedasused inthisscale isdifferentfromwantedasoneofthecategoriesof thestandardmeasure(seetheMeasuringUnintendedPregnancies inSurveyssectionof thisreport).Thecategoryintendedistheresultoftheseriesofquestions involvingcontraceptiveuse,pregnancytiming,andfuture
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Page12 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012childbearingplans.Despite thesedifferences,note thatwomenwhoreported that theirpregnancywasintended(on thestandardfour-categorymeasure)rated theirpregnancyat8.2onthis010scale.Thishighratingreflectsagreementthatapregnancy thatwasintendedonthestandardmeasurealsorateshighon the010wanting(desireforpregnancy)scale.Incontrast,thosewhoreported that thepregnancywasunwantedon thestandardmeasureratedthepregnancyat1.9,onaverage,onthewantingscale, indicatingtheydidnotdesiretobecomepregnant.
Lookingat thesecondscale,trying tobecomepregnant(howhardthewomanwastrying togetpregnantortoavoidpregnancy),intendedpregnancies(onthestandardmeasure)hadameanratingof7.5,comparedwith2.6forunwantedpregnancies.Thisshowsagreementbetween thestandardmeasureandthealternativemeasure,butthedifferencebetween7.5and2.6(4.9)isnotaslargeasforthewantingscalemeasuresof8.2and1.9,adifferenceof6.3.Theseresultssuggestthatthewantingandtryingscales(measuresofthewomansdesireandbehavior)arestronglybutnotperfectlycorrelated,assuggestedbyBachrachandNewcomer
(33)
and
by
Miller
and
Jones(36).Furtherresearchwiththesequestionswilllikelyfocusonthecircumstancesunderwhichwomengivedivergentanswerson thestandardmeasureandthealternativemeasuresofunintendedpregnancy.
Lookingat theaveragevaluesforthe thirdscale,happy tobepregnant(howhappyshewaswhenshefoundoutshewaspregnant), thesamepatternemerges:pregnancies thatwere intendedonthestandardmeasurewererated9.4outof10,whereasunwantedpregnancieswererated4.8onaverage.(Theaveragevaluesof thehappinessscaleareslightlyhigher than thoseofthewantedortryingscalesinpartbecausethehappinessscalehasvaluesof110,whereastheothertwoscaleshavevaluesof010.)
Theassociationbetweenthemothersdesire tohaveachildwith thebabysfatherandherperceptionofhisintendednessofthepregnancyarealso
showninTable7.Womenwhosaidthattheydefinitelywantedtohaveababywiththatpartnerratedtheirdesireforthepregnancyat7.3onaverage,apositiverating.Thosewhosaid theydefinitelydidnotwantababywiththatpartnerratedtheirwantingofthepregnancyat1.8onaverage,astronglynegativeratingequivalenttosayingthatshedidnotwant thebaby.
Theseresultsreflectthecloserelationshipbetweenwantingababywithaspecificpartnerand intendingtobecomepregnantusing thestandardmeasure.Thefindingsaresimilarforboththetrying togetpregnantandthehappytobepregnantscales:womenwhowanted togetpregnantwithaparticularpartnerweretryingharder tobecomepregnantandwerehappierwhen theyfoundouttheywerepregnant,that is, theyratedthepregnancymorepositively than thosewhodidnotwanttohaveababywiththatpartner.
Finally, theratingsmothersgavetotheirpregnanciesareshown inTable7bywhetherthewomanthought thebabysfatherwantedthepregnancy.Ifshethoughtherpartner intendedthepregnancy,theaveragewanting togetpregnantratingwas7.9,stronglypositive;
if
she
thought
he
did
not
want
thepregnancy,heraverageratingwas2.7,astronglynegativerating.
It istoosoon tosaydefinitelywhetherthealternativemeasureswillproveusefulornecessaryforresearchin thelongrun,but theresultsinTables17suggest that:+ Mostintendedbirthsareintended
because themotherintended(usingthestandardmeasure) tohaveababywhenshedid(Tables15);shetriedtohave thepregnancy then,shewanted tohaveababywiththatpartnerasthefather,andhealsowanted thebabyat that time(Table7).
+ Formanyunintendedbirths,oneormoreoftheseconditionsdoesnothold.Forexample,anunintendedbirthisoneinwhichthe timingofthebirthwasnotrightforthewoman(Tables15),orshedidnottrytobecomepregnant(Table7),orshedid
notwanttohavethebabywiththatpartner,orsheknewthefatherdidnotwantthebirth(Table7).
Furtherresearchwillbeneededtoconfirmorrefinethesehypotheses.Themainpurposeof includingthesemeasures
in
the
present
report
is
to
encouragetheresearchcommunitytouse theminfurtherresearchwithNSFGdata.Futureresearchmayfocuson thecircumstancesunderwhich themeasuresdiverge,conflict,orreflectambivalencetowardhavingababy.Buthavingthesenewmeasuresavailableshouldmake itpossible tomeasurethesecircumstancesandtofindouthowcommontheyareandwhatfactorsarecorrelatedwiththem(3436).CorrelatesofUnintendedPregnancy
The introduction tothisreportsummarizedsomeof thefindingsoftheextensivebodyof literatureon theconsequencesofunintendedpregnancyfor thebabyandthemother.Thisresearchsuggeststhatifawomanhasanunintendedpregnancy,shemaybeunpreparedfor itand thusmaybeslower toobtainneededprenatalcareandlessawareofotherchangessheshouldmake(suchasimprovingnutritionorquittingsmoking),comparedwithwomenwith intendedpregnancies.Thesefactorsmayresultin lessfavorableoutcomes,suchasthoseshown inTable8.
Theresultsshown inTable8arecross-tabulationswithoutstatisticalcontrols(anddeservecarefulreplicationwithcontrols),butmanypreviousstudieshaveshown thatwhetherapregnancywas intendedorunintended isrelated to thesecharacteristicsofthepregnancy,aftercontrollingappropriatelyforthemothersage,race,maritalstatus,andothervariables(713).InTable8,thesemeasuresareshownwiththefollowingnewdatafromthe20062010NSFG:+ Whenprenatalcarebegan.+ Whether themothersmoked
cigarettesduringthepregnancy.+ How thedeliverywaspaidfor.
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NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012 Page13+ Whether themotherbreastfed the
baby.+ Thebabysbirthweight.
ThefirstmeasureshowninTable8is thetimingofprenatalcare.Themeasureusedis thepercentageofwomen
who
did
not
get
any
prenatal
carein thefirsttrimesterorwhodidnotgetanyprenatalcareatall.Receivinglateornoprenatalcarehasbeenassociatedwithadversechildoutcomes,including lowbirthweight,neonatalmortality,and increasedhealthcarecostsfortheinfant,atbirthandlater(6,9,10,4345).Amongintendedpregnancies,8.2%of themothersfirstreceivedprenatalcareafterthefirsttrimesterorreceivednoprenatalcareatall.Forunintendedpregnancies, thisproportionwas19%more thandouble.Sowomenwhowerenotintending togetpregnantandwerethereforenotpreparedforpregnancy(i.e.,theyhadunwantedormistimedpregnancies)weremorethantwiceas likely toobtainprenatalcare lateornotatall,thusdelayingmedicaltreatmentandadviceaswell.
ThesecondmeasureshowninTable8issmokingduringpregnancy.Numerousstudies(10,4548)show thatsmokingduringpregnancyputsthemotherandbabyatriskformanyhealthproblems, includinglowbirthweight,pretermbirth,miscarriage,infantdeath,and illnessduringchildhood.About10%ofmotherswith intendedpregnanciessmokedduringpregnancy,comparedwith16%if thepregnancywasunintended, including18%ofunwantedpregnancies.This isconsistentwith thefindingsonprenatalcare:ifprenatalcare isdelayed,medicaladvicetostopsmokingwouldalsobedelayed.
ThethirdmeasureinTable8 iswhether thedeliverywaspaidforbyMedicaidaloneorincombinationwithotherfunds.It isnotfeasibleforNSFGtocollectahistoryofhowmuchincomethewomanhadatvariouspointsin thepast,sothere isnodirectmeasureof themothershousehold incomeatthe timeofthebirth.Buthaving thebirthpaidforbyMedicaid indicates thatthemothershouseholdhadalowincomeatthe timeof thebirth,andthusindicates
that thehouseholdhadfewerresourcestocarefor thechild.UseofMedicaid isalsoan indicatorofpubliccostsforthepregnancy(1820).About35%ofthedeliveriesof intendedpregnancieswerepaidforbyMedicaid,comparedwith65%of thedeliveriesofunintendedpregnancies.Thus,unintendedpregnancies tend tooccurtomotherswithfewerresourcestosupport thechild,andthereforeresultindirectpublichealthcarecosts throughMedicaidmoreoftenthanintendedpregnancies.
Thefourthmeasure inTable8iswhetherthemotherbreastfedthebabyatall.Breastfeedinghasbeenshowntoreduceaninfantsriskofearinfections,vomiting,diarrhea,pneumonia,andsudden infantdeathsyndrome(49).Breastfeedingalsobenefits thewomanbyreducingherriskof type2diabetesandbreastandovariancancers(49).Becauseoftheshort- andlong-termbenefitstoboththechildand themother,theAmericanAcademyofPediatricsin2005recommended thatallinfantsbebreastfed(50).In20062010,26%ofbabiesfrom intendedbirthswerenotbreastfedatall,comparedwith39%ofbabiesfromunintendedbirths(Table8).
Finally,Table
8
shows
that
7.2%
of
intendedbirthswere lowbirthweight(lessthan2,500gramsor5.5pounds),comparedwith12%ofunwantedpregnancies.Theotherdifferencesaresmallandarenotsignificantin thissample.
Thus,delayedornoprenatalcare,smokingduringpregnancy,Medicaidpaymentfordelivery,andnotbreastfeedingareallmorecommonamongpregnanciesthatwereunwantedormistimedby2yearsormorethanamongintendedpregnancies.Basedastheyareonthemostrecentdata, thefindingsinTable8areconsistentwithearlierstudies thatusedolderdataandmultivariatestatisticalmodelsandfoundhigherrisksofthesecharacteristicsforunintendedpregnancies thanforintendedpregnancies.ResearchusingNSFGandemployingmultivariatecontrolswouldbea logicalnextsteptoconfirmthesefindings.
AProfileofUnintendedPregnancies in20062010
Tables18showed thepercentagesofbirthstowomen incertaincategoriesthatwere intendedorunintended.Table9shows thereverse:profilesofthepercentagesofmothersofintendedandunintendedbirthswhowere incertainage,maritalstatus,andothercategories.
ThedatabyageinTable9showthatin20062010,22%ofunintendedbirthswere toteenagemothers(aged1519atthebirth),68%towomenaged2034,and9%towomenaged35andoveratthetimeofthebirth.Amongintendedbirths,4%weretoteenagers,79% towomenaged2034,and17%towomenaged3544.
Basedon thedatabymaritalstatus,unmarriedwomenhad62%ofunintendedbirthsandonly27%ofintendedbirths.Conversely,marriedwomenhad38%ofunintendedbirthsand73%ofintendedbirths.
Byraceandethnicity,non-Hispanicwhitewomenhad45%ofunintendedbirths,whereasHispanicwomenhad25%andblackwomenhad22%.Incontrast,non-Hispanicwhitewomenhad60%ofintendedbirthsandblackwomenhadjust11%.
Womenwithincomesbelow150%ofthepoverty levelhad56%ofunintendedbirths,buttheyhadjust35%ofintendedbirths.Fourteenpercentofunintendedbirthsweretowomenwithincomes threetimesthepoverty levelorhigher,butabout35%of intendedbirthswere tothisgroup.Discussion
Thepurposeof thisreportis toprovidereliablenationalestimatesoftrendsandgroupdifferencesin intendedandunintendedbirthsintheUnitedStates in19822010.Datafromnationalsamplesofwomeninterviewedinperson in theirhomesareanalyzed.Thereportprovidesaverygeneraloverviewofthese importanttopics,andit isexpectedthatresearcherswilluseNSFGdatatoexplorethese topicsfurther.Thissectionsummarizes thethreemostimportantfindingsofthereportandthen
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Page14 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012discusseshow thefindingsarerelatedtoteenagebirthrates,theuseofsterilizationforcontraception,andoverallbirthrates.1. TrendsTheproportionofbirths that
wereunintendeddeclinedamongever-married
non-Hispanic
white
womenbetween1982and20062010.However, thisgroupaccountedfor66%ofallbirths in1982andonly43%ofallbirths in20062010.Theothergroups(includingnever-marriedwomenandHispanicwomen)hadagrowingnumberandpercentageofbirths,andtheirbirthsweremorelikelytobeunintended(6,31).Asaresult, thepercentageofallbirthsthatwereunintendeddidnotdeclinesignificantlybetween1982and2010(Table1).
2. DifferencesUnintendedbirthsoccurdisproportionatelyamongnon-Hispanicblackwomen,unmarriedwomen,andwomenwith lessincomeandeducation.Forexample,theproportionofallbirths thatwereunwantedormistimedby2yearsormorewas7%forcollegegraduatescomparedwith35%forwomenwhodidnotcompletehighschool(Table3).Thissamepercentagewas9%
for
women
with
incomes
of
400%ofpovertylevelorhighercomparedwith38%forwomenwithincomesbelowpoverty(0%99%)(Table4).Thus,theexperienceofunintendedfertilityforwomenatdifferenteducationand incomelevelsremainsverydivergent,as itwasin2002(Tables3and4)and inthe1970sand1980s(47,25,26).
3. FirstbirthsOnly8.8%offirstbirthstomarriedwomenareunwantedoroccuratleast2yearsbefore theywerewanted,comparedwith55%offirstbirths tounmarriedwomen(Table5).Thisworksouttonearlyone-thirdofallfirstbirthsintheUnitedStates;that is,31%,ormorethan500,000firstbirthsperyear(40),areeitherunwantedormistimedby2yearsormore(Table3).
EffectsofUnintendedBirthsontheTeenageBirthRate
Ausefulway to illustratetheeffectsofunintendedfertility istolookat theeffectofunintendedbirthsonteenbirthrates.Note thatonly22.8%ofbirthstoteenagemothersarefromintendedpregnancies(Table2).Theteenbirthrate intheUnitedStatesin2008was40.2birthsper1,000womenaged1519.IfU.S.teenagershadonlybirthsthat they intendedtohave(andunintendedbirthsto teenswerepostponeduntilafterage20), then theU.S.teenbirthratewouldbejust22.8%of40.2,or9.2per1,000(51).Ifthishappened,teenbirthswoulddropfrom11%ofallbirthsin theUnitedStates to
just4%ofallbirths(Table9).EffectsofUnintendedBirthsonContraceptiveChoice
ArecentreportfromNSFG(52)showed thatfemalesterilizationwasthemostusedmethodofbirthcontrolamongblack,Hispanic, low-income,and less-educatedwomenin theUnitedStates.Usingmultivariatestatisticaltechniques,arecentanalysis(53)foundthat themorefrequentexperienceofunintendedbirthsamongblackandHispanicwomenaccountsfor theirmorefrequentuseoffemalesterilizationasamethodofbirthcontrol.Thisfinding isconsistentwithearlierresearch(54).Unintendedbirthsaremorecommonamongwomenwithlow levelsofeducationandincome.Previousresearchhasshownthat thosegroupsuse thepillandotherbirthcontrolmethodslesseffectively thanwomenwithhigherlevelsofeducationand income(41).EffectsofUnwantedBirthsonBirthRates
In2008(themidpointofinterviewingforthe20062010survey),therewere4,247,694birthsin theUnitedStates(40).Anestimated13.8%wereunwantedby theirmothers(Table1),that is, themotherdidnotwanttohaveabirthatthattimeoratany time inthefuture.Ifwomen
intheUnitedStateswereable toavoidpregnanciesending inunwantedbirthsasubsetofunintendedbirthsthenumberofbirthswoulddropbyabout586,000peryear,from4,247,694toabout3,661,694(orfrom68.1birthsper1,000womenaged1544,to58.7).Two-thirds(68%)ofthesebirthsavertedwouldbetounmarriedwomen.Conclusions
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NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012 Page17Table1.Trendsinthe intendednessofbirthsatconception,bymaritalstatusatbirthandHispanicoriginandraceofmother:UnitedStates,selectedyears
Unintended Mistimed
Numberof Lessthan 2yearsbirths in Total Total 2years ormore
Characteristic1 thousands Total Intended2 unintended Unwanted mistimed3 toosoon toosoonPercentdistribution(standarderror)
Total19824 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,442 100.0 63.5 (1.25) 36.5 (1.25) 9.8 (0.80) 26.7 (1.23) - -Total1 98 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,020 100.0 60.9 (1.25) 39.1 (1.25) 12.4 (0.65) 26.7 (1.04) - -Total19955 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,462 100.0 69.4 (0.89) 30.6 (0.89) 10.1 (0.55) 20.5 (0.74) 7.3 (0.47) 12.8 (0.60)Total2 00 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,018 100.0 65.1 (1.28) 34.9 (1.28) 14.1 (0.90) 20.8 (0.92) 8.0 (0.64) 12.1 (0.68)Total200620104 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,161 100.0 62.9 (1.51) 37.1 (1.51) 13.8 (0.78) 23.3 (1.14) 9.2 (0.75) 14.0 (0.93)
Evermarried1982 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,433 100.0 70.3 (1.22) 29.7 (1.22) 7.6 (0.74) 22.2 (1.26) - -
HispanicorLatina . . . . . . . . . . . 1,568 100.0 71.3 (4.83) 28.7 (4.83) 10.5 (4.10) 18.2 (2.74) - -NonHispanicwhite. . . . . . . . . . . 12,175 100.0 71.5 (1.48) 28.5 (1.48) 6.2 (0.75) 22.3 (1.61) - -NonHispanicblack. . . . . . . . . . . 1,315 100.0 58.9 (2.55) 41.1 (2.55) 15.5 (1.68) 25.7 (1.84) - -
20062010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,850 100.0 74.7 (1.46) 25.3 (1.46) 8.9 (0.80) 16.4 (1.14) 9.8 (0.91) 6.4 (0.75)HispanicorLatina . . . . . . . . . . . 2,630 100.0 66.1 (2.55) 33.9 (2.55) 15.9 (2.31) 17.9 (2.11) 8.2 (1.31) 9.6 (1.59)NonHispanicwhite. . . . . . . . . . . 9,099 100.0 78.4 (1.71) 21.6 (1.71) 6.4 (0.86) 15.2 (1.35) 10.3 (1.25) 4.7 (0.81)NonHispanicblack. . . . . . . . . . . 1,111 100.0 65.5 (3.82) 34.5 (3.82) 11.7 (2.64) 22.8 (3.60) 12.9 (3.17) 9.3 (2.29)
Nevermarried1982 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,955 100.0 28.4 (3.28) 71.6 (3.28) 21.4 (2.34) 50.2 (3.22) - -
HispanicorLatina . . . . . . . . . . . * 100.0 * * * * - -NonHispanicwhite. . . . . . . . . . . 1,062 100.0 20.0 (5.36) 80.0 (5.36) 18.3 (6.21) 61.7 (6.83) - -NonHispanicblack. . . . . . . . . . . 1,297 100.0 31.0 (2.16) 69.0 (2.16) 28.1 (2.02) 40.9 (2.99) - -
20062010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,311 100.0 40.4 (2.03) 59.6 (2.03) 23.1 (1.32) 36.5 (1.70) 7.9 (1.01) 28.4 (1.56)HispanicorLatina . . . . . . . . . . . 1,917 100.0 44.6 (2.40) 55.4 (2.40) 21.4 (2.68) 34.0 (2.25) 7.6 (1.39) 26.3 (1.89)NonHispanicwhite. . . . . . . . . . . 2,745 100.0 39.1 (3.94) 60.9 (3.94) 19.3 (2.66) 41.6 (3.49) 9.7 (2.36) 31.4 (3.15)NonHispanicblack. . . . . . . . . . . 2,308 100.0 38.3 (2.66) 61.7 (2.66) 27.5 (1.94) 34.2 (2.21) 6.2 (0.87) 27.9 (2.33)
Datanotavailable;cannotbecalculated.*Figuredoesnotmeetstandardsofreliabilityorprecision.1
The1977OfficeofManagementandBudgetdefinitions forraceareused.See DefinitionsofTermssection.2Includesbirthswithintendednessreportedas dontknow.3Thetwocategoriesofamountmistimedmaynotsum to totalmistimeddue tocaseswhereamountmistimedcannotbecalculated.4Includeswomenofotherorunknownraceandorigingroupsnotshownseparately.5Showninitalicsbecauseresearchsuggeststhat, formethodologicalreasons,thesedatashowabias towardhigherpercentages intended.SeeTechnicalNotes.NOTES:Dataare limited tobirthsoccurring in the5yearsbeforetheinterview.Percentagesmaynotadd to100due torounding.SOURCE:CDC/NCHS,NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth.
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Page18 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number55 n July24,2012Table2. Intendednessofbirthsatconception,bymothersageandmaritalorcohabitationstatusatthebirth:UnitedStates,2002and20062010
IntendednessstatusUnintended
Mistimed
CharacteristicNumber
of
births in
thousands Total Intended1 Totalunintended Unwanted Totalmistimed2Less
than
2years
toosoon2
years
ormore
toosoonPercentdistribution(standarderror)
Ageatbirth1519years:
20 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20062010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2024years:20 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20062010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2544years:20 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20062010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2,2152,2835,5535,243
13,25013,635
100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
21.6 (2.14)22.8 (2.63)56.0 (2.12)49.9 (2.35)76.2 (1.40)74.6 (1.39)
78.4 (2.14)77.2 (2.63)44.0 (2.12)50.1 (2.35)23.8 (1.40)25.4 (1.39)
21.4 (2.66)19.3 (2.59)17.2 (1.72)16.5 (1.37)11.6 (1.02)11.8 (0.88)
56.9 (2.71)57.9 (2.90)26.9 (1.78)33.6 (2.03)12.2 (0.97)13.7 (1.09)
9.0 (2.14)6.5 (1.50)9.4 (1.34)
11.6 (1.61)7.2 (0.76)8.6 (0.87)
46.3 (2.82)51.3 (2.87)16.3 (1.35)21.6 (1.90)
4.6 (0.65)4.8 (0.58)
MaritalorcohabitingstatusatbirthMarried:
20 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20062010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unmarried,cohabiting:20 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20062010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unmarried,notcohabiting:20 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20062010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13,53412,635
2,9984,9504,4863,576
100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
76.9 (1.18)76.6 (1.47)48.8 (3.12)49.3 (2.34)40.5 (2.28)33.1 (2.41)
23.1 (1.18)23.4 (1.47)51.3 (3.12)50.7 (2.34)59.5 (2.28)66.9 (2.41)
9.0 (0.88)7.2 (0.75)
18.1 (2.50)20.4 (1.68)26.9 (2.25)27.7 (1.91)
14.1 (0.91)16.2 (1.20)33.2 (2.45)30.3 (1.99)32.6 (1.97)39.2 (2.21)
8.4 (0.72)10.1 (0.97)
8.2 (1.52)8.8 (1.41)6.5 (1.32)6.4 (1.20)
5.3 (0.66)6.0 (0.73)
24.2 (2.32)21.5 (1.67)24.5 (1.79)32.1 (1.93)
Maritalorcohabitingstatusandageatbirth
Married:1524years:
2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20062010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2544years:2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20062010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unmarried,cohabiting:1524years:
2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20062010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2544years:2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20062010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unmarried,notcohabiting:1524years:
2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20062010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2544years:2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20062010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3,1032,475
10,43110,160
1,8532,8471,1452,103
2,8122,2041,6731,372
100.0100.0100.0100.0
100.0100.0100.0100.0
100.0100.0100.0100.0
67.0 (2.33)59.5 (3.14)79.9 (1.41)80.8 (1.47)
40.1 (4.02)42.1 (3.43)62.7 (4.67)59.1 (3.68)
27.3 (2.65)21.1 (2.20)62.7 (4.10)52.4 (4.26)
33.1 (2.33)40.5 (3.14)20.2 (1.41)19.2 (1.47)
59.9 (4.02)57.9 (3.43)37.3 (4.67)40.9 (3.68)
72.7 (2.65)78.9 (2.20)37.3 (4.10)47.6 (4.26)
8.4 (1.29)7.1 (1.36)9.2 (1.07)7.3 (0.84)
18.6 (2.85)19.4 (2.21)17.3 (3.53)21.8 (2.84)
29.2 (2.93)26.3 (2.48)23.0 (2.81)30.0 (2.87)
24.6 (2.18)33.