Highest importance scores for effectiveness, safety, affordability, whether method is long lasting
MONDAY, July 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Multiple attributes influence contraceptive decision making, according to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Tessa Madden, M.D., M.P.H., from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional, self-administered survey of women’s contraceptive preferences. Women were asked to rank the importance of 15 contraceptive attributes on a 3-point scale, and rank the three attributes that were most important in selecting a method of contraception.
The survey was completed by a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of 2,590 women. The researchers found that the method attributes with the highest importance score included effectiveness, safety, affordability, long-lasting method, and whether the method is “forgettable” (mean scores, 2.97, 2.96, 2.61, 2.58, and 2.54, respectively). Effectiveness, safety, and side effects of the methods were the attributes most likely to be ranked by respondents among the top three attributes (84.2, 67.8, and 44.6 percent, respectively).
“Multiple contraceptive attributes influence decision making and no single attribute drives most women’s decisions,” the authors write. “Tailoring communication and helping women make complex tradeoffs between attributes can better support their contraceptive decisions and may assist them in making value-consistent choices.”
Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
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