Foreign objects in college bodies: young women's feelings about long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)

Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) are now recommended for use among nulliparous young women to prevent unintended pregnancy. While research has explored LARC knowledge, attitudes, and use among young women in the United States, college women’s feelings about LARC have received limited att...

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Main Authors: Mann, ES, White, AL, Beavin, C, Dys, G
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Taylor and Francis 2020
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author Mann, ES
White, AL
Beavin, C
Dys, G
author_facet Mann, ES
White, AL
Beavin, C
Dys, G
author_sort Mann, ES
collection OXFORD
description Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) are now recommended for use among nulliparous young women to prevent unintended pregnancy. While research has explored LARC knowledge, attitudes, and use among young women in the United States, college women’s feelings about LARC have received limited attention. This article reports findings from a focus group study conducted with a convenience sample of 45 women, ages 18–25 years, enrolled in a large public university in the southeastern USA in April 2017. Focus groups combined LARC users and non-users and elicited a range of positive and negative affective responses to LARC. Some participants had an aversion to LARC because they perceived them to be unnatural, while others felt a sense of security because of their long-term effectiveness. Feelings about the location and mode of insertion for the intrauterine device (IUD) versus the implant played a significant role in the decision to use a specific LARC method: some found being able to feel the implant in their arm reassuring, while others found it disturbing and preferred the IUD. College-going LARC users also appear to be effective advocates for LARC use among their peers.
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spelling oxford-uuid:bae9eba2-e10b-4cc7-85f1-ded0cf7862432022-03-27T05:13:05ZForeign objects in college bodies: young women's feelings about long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:bae9eba2-e10b-4cc7-85f1-ded0cf786243EnglishSymplectic ElementsTaylor and Francis2020Mann, ESWhite, ALBeavin, CDys, GLong-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) are now recommended for use among nulliparous young women to prevent unintended pregnancy. While research has explored LARC knowledge, attitudes, and use among young women in the United States, college women’s feelings about LARC have received limited attention. This article reports findings from a focus group study conducted with a convenience sample of 45 women, ages 18–25 years, enrolled in a large public university in the southeastern USA in April 2017. Focus groups combined LARC users and non-users and elicited a range of positive and negative affective responses to LARC. Some participants had an aversion to LARC because they perceived them to be unnatural, while others felt a sense of security because of their long-term effectiveness. Feelings about the location and mode of insertion for the intrauterine device (IUD) versus the implant played a significant role in the decision to use a specific LARC method: some found being able to feel the implant in their arm reassuring, while others found it disturbing and preferred the IUD. College-going LARC users also appear to be effective advocates for LARC use among their peers.
spellingShingle Mann, ES
White, AL
Beavin, C
Dys, G
Foreign objects in college bodies: young women's feelings about long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)
title Foreign objects in college bodies: young women's feelings about long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)
title_full Foreign objects in college bodies: young women's feelings about long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)
title_fullStr Foreign objects in college bodies: young women's feelings about long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)
title_full_unstemmed Foreign objects in college bodies: young women's feelings about long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)
title_short Foreign objects in college bodies: young women's feelings about long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)
title_sort foreign objects in college bodies young women s feelings about long acting reversible contraception larc
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