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In 1982, 69 percent of Puerto Rican women in union were practicing contraception. Forty-five percent relied on contraceptive sterilization (40 percent, female, and five percent, male), eight percent were using the pill, four percent each, the IUD and the condom, five percent relied on rhythm, and three percent were using other methods. Thus, sterilization is the dominant form of fertility regulation in Puerto Rico, and there is relatively little use of reversible methods for childspacing. Reliance on female sterilization peaks among women in union in the age-group 35-44 (54 percent), whereas pill use is highest among those aged 15-24 (approximately 23 percent). Overall, eight percent of all women aged 15-49 are at risk of unintended pregnancy because they are fecund, sexually active, not pregnant or seeking pregnancy and not using any kind of contraceptive method. However, among women in union, this risk ranges from nine percent among those aged 30-39 to 22 percent among women aged 15-19. Reliance on sterilization rather than reversible methods of contraception is strongly influenced by socio-demographic variables. Women with less than a high school education, the wives of blue-collar workers, women living outside of the major cities and those born in Puerto Rico depend upon sterilization more than do women with a college education, the wives of white-collar employees, women living in cities and those born outside of the country. These findings point to the need for improved availability of reversible family planning services, especially for young women, and those whose childbearing is incomplete.

In 1979, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control conducted a sample survey of women of reproductive age living on the U.S. side of the U.S.-Mexico border area. Results of the survey show that 75 percent of currently narried Anglo (white, non-Hispanic) women, and 66 percent of comparable Hispanic women aged 15-44, were currently practicing contraception. * When differences in contraceptive use between Anglo and Hispanic women were analyzed by age-group, only those differences among women aged 35-44 were statistically significant. There were also sharp differences in contraceptive use among never-married women: Only 13 percent of Hispanic women who had never been married, compared to 26 percent of Anglos, were currently using contraceptives. For currently married women, both Anglos and Hispanics, the pill was the preponderant method, chosen by 21 percent of women in both groups. Fourteen percent of currently married Anglo women, and 13 percent of currently married Hispanic women had obtained contraceptive sterilizations.

A survey of women of reproductive age living on the US side of the US-Mexico border indicates that 19% of ever married Hispanic women and 8% of Anglos at risk of unintended pregnancy were not using contraceptives. Hispanics were much more likely than Anglos to patronize organized family planning programs (34 vs. 6%). (authors)

Computers are being used to plot the spatial distribution of the population in need of services and those currently receiving services from Georgias family planning programs. A Fortran computer program costing about $400 uses 5 graduations of shading to show proportions of active contraceptors. Each user supplies a data deck with map coordinates which can be digitized for about $250 for a state with 100 counties. By calculating contraceptors monthly the program activity in each county can be determined to show areas of stable high performance and those areas which need to improve their family planning services. The spatial distribution according to services rendered can be mapped at intervals depending on frequency of data collection.

Of 303 women who obtained abortions in a Washington, D. C., clinic in January 1972 and were interviewed about six months later, 93 percent chose a method of contraception at the time of abortion and 91 percent were using contraception at the time of follow-up. Eighty-six percent chose the pill or IUD at the time of abortion; and 78 percent were protected by the pill, IUD, or sterilization six months after the abortion. Although one-fourth of the women changed methods during the six-month period after the abortion, the vast majority were highly persistent in using effective methods of contraception.