Role of Contraceptives in Family Planning and Effectiveness of Publicly Funded Programs in Preventing Unintended Pregnancies

Name Qiwei Huang
Student Number 13430831
Professor’s name Heni Andrag

Role of Contraceptives in Family Planning and Effectiveness of Publicly Funded Programs in Preventing Unintended Pregnancies
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
The dissertation chapter will seek to evaluate the effectiveness of the available contraception in public hospitals and the role they play in assisting low-income households in different communities. The literature will be based on the research questions that evaluate the effectiveness of contraceptive use in controlling high rates of unwanted pregnancies in women, how the use of contraceptives have been embraced by the society and the support of the government for contraceptive use. The analysis of literature will be based on academic, governmental and international organization statistics, which will be helpful in evaluating the role that the contraceptives play in the lives of women. The research will also look at the effectiveness of the publicly funded family planning services and the appropriateness of the concept based on the use in public hospitals. Finally, a theoretical framework will be analyzed that will be helpful in the structuring of the concept of the research. The flow diagram below shows the topics that will be covered in this section.

Use of Contraception in Preventing Unwanted Pregnancies
Women are at risk for unplanned pregnancy through the years they are reproductive. Incidences of unplanned pregnancies are high, especially with regards to the different population groups, which is mostly affected by the education levels and the financial capabilities of the women in question. Finer and Henshaw (2006, p.91) indicate that the ability to choose whether or not to bear children and the timeline is a fundamental part of the reproductive health. According to the authors, very few unintended pregnancies result in being wanted and about half of the pregnancies end up in abortion in the United States. Finer and Zolna (2011, p.478) through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2010), indicate that the unintended pregnancies have become the subject of the reproductive health goals in the US and the US Department of Health and Human Services are striving to ensure that the rates of the unintended pregnancies reduce accordingly.
The use of contraception in reducing the rate, so unintended pregnancies are one of the major strategies that are being used, especially when it comes to health education. The study by Finer and Henshaw (2006) evaluates the use of contraception and the effectiveness in controlling the rate of unintended pregnancies. The study calculates the use of the contraceptive calendar, whereby the respondents were required to list the contraceptive used each month to prevent unwanted pregnancies. The main purpose of the study was to evaluate the proportion of unintended births that occurred in women who used the contraceptives in the month of conception. The study, which was conducted between the years 1994 and 2001 pointed out that there was the reduction in the rate of unwanted pregnancies among disadvantaged populations, but an increase in the rate of poor and uneducated women.
Tsui, McDonald-Mosley and Burke (2010, p.152) indicate that in the US, the use of contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancy is one the rise, based on the statistics presented in the study. According to the research, contraceptive use among women between the ages of 15 and 44 years in 2002 was at 61.9%, while that of married women was at 72.9%. The use of contraception for planning unwanted pregnancies is on the rise in the US, as education increases on the ways through which the women can prevent the pregnancies. Despite the increased rate at which the contraceptives are being used, Santelli et al., (2003, p.84) point that despite the rate at which the women are using the contraceptive, there is still a high rate of the occurrence of the unwanted pregnancies. The rates of the unintended pregnancies are increasingly becoming a concern for the Division of Reproductive Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The effectiveness of the use of contraception is brought to light as the numbers are used to evaluate the factor on what goes wrong when the unintended pregnancies occur during contraceptive use.
Effectiveness of Contraceptive Use in Planning Unintended Pregnancies
The effectiveness of the contraception methods in preventing unintended pregnancies is measured through the “perfect use” when the method is used consistently and correctly. CDC (2015, para.2) indicates that the most effective and reversible methods of contraception include the use of intrauterine contraception, birth control and contraceptive implants as the most effective ways of decreasing the risk of unintended pregnancies. Additionally, the organization indicates that the effectiveness of the use of the contraceptive shot, patch and ring, pills, barrier and the fertility-based awareness methods depend on the consistent and correct use of the contraception methods. Goldbloom and Lawrence (2012, p.92) indicate that the use of contraception is the most effective way of preventing pregnancy. According to the authors, the use of contraceptives, especially those taken orally have led to a decrease in the rate of unwanted pregnancies.
The effectiveness of the use of contraception methods is dependent on the age and sexual activity of the woman. Goldbloom and Lawrence (2012, p.92) indicate that the use of the pill may not be an effective means of pregnancy prevention among the adolescent. The factor is based on the tendencies that the age group is mostly associated with sporadic and unplanned sexual behavior, which limits the effectiveness of the use of the pill. For individuals from this age group, the use of condoms may be seen as a more effective contraceptive method. Chiras (2011, p.411) additionally highlights the most effective means of the contraceptive measures. According to the author, abstinence is the most effective means of preventing unwanted pregnancy, which also reduces the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
From the evaluation of the literature, it is evident that the effectiveness of the use of contraception is dependent on the methods that the affected party uses. Rand Corporation (2000, p.222) indicate that the method of contraception is dependent on the advice that the health professional gives, to ensure that the methods are very effective. The effectiveness of the contraceptive method will affect the preventative measures that are taken by the individuals, which will increase the efficiency of the measures taken. Germain, Holmes and Piot (2013, p.113) indicate that careful measures must be placed in the use of the contraceptive methods. According to the authors, the use of contraception is a matter that needs to be considered carefully as most of the methods used do not prevent the individual from infections and diseases. Due to the lack of consultation with the doctors before applying the specific family planning method, there are various plans that are made to ensure that individuals have access to the family planning services in order to increase awareness of the control methods.
Unplanned Pregnancies and Effects on Societal and Personal Development
The effects of unplanned pregnancies have various effects on both personal and societal development. The rise in the rate of unintended pregnancies not only affects the individual, but also the development of the society. Foley, Figeredo and Shimko (2013, p.3) indicate that the lack of contraceptive education is a factor that has raised issues, especially with the health officials in the US. The need to have the society educated on such matters is a factor that is of importance, not only for personal development but also for the society. Thomas and Monea (2011, p.2) point out that nearly half of the pregnancies in the US are unintended, which is a factor that needs to be considered when planning for the health education systems that is offered by the health officials.
Unintended pregnancies cause a lot of personal and societal setbacks, hence the need to create awareness of the options that people have to plan better their families. One of the factors that need to be considered regarding the unintended pregnancies is the financial strain that it causes to the governments. Thomas and Monea (2011, p.3) indicate that the unintended pregnancies is a factor that is directly transferred to the taxpayers, who often foot the bill when it comes to taking care of the needs of the people in society who cannot. Logan, Holcombe, Manlove and Ryan (2007, p.3) evaluate the effects of the unplanned pregnancies on the individual. From the study, cited from Sable and Wilkinson (1998), the authors point out that the individuals who have unwanted pregnancies often end up having delinquent behavior, which in turn affects their performance in school, leading to negative effects on the society they are living in.
One of the major effects that the unintended pregnancies have on both the child and the parent is the fact that there may be an effect on the quality of the relationship that the individuals have. The attitudes that the parents, especially, mothers have with regards to the pregnancy will be emulated to the relationship they will have with the children. Proper mentorship and guidance may be one of the factors that arise when determining the personal effects of unplanned pregnancies. Abma, Martinez, Mosher and Dawson (2004, p.1) in Baber (2005), indicate that the aspect of unwanted teen pregnancies have various effects on the childbearing and upbringing, which affects the relationships that the children have with the parents. The strain in the relationship affects the way through which the individual is brought up, which in turn affects the interaction and the decisions they make regarding their lives.
An evaluation of the socio-economic effects of the unplanned pregnancies indicates that there are negative implications for the society. One of the economic effects of the unplanned pregnancies is that most of the mothers, who mostly drop out of school to take care of the children. The unintended pregnancies are mostly disruptive to the lives of the mother, especially if the child is an outcome of a casual relationship. An evaluation of the unintended pregnancies is that most of the mothers have not attained the level of education that can support the child, let alone them. Culp-Ressler (2012, para.2) mentions that 34% of teen mothers neither earn a college degree or a high school diploma after giving birth, and only two percent of the teen mothers earn the degree before they turn thirty. The determent of education is a factor that affects the national expenditure for such cases. Additionally, Culp-Ressler (2012, para.3) cites the Alliance for Excellent Education, an organization that indicates that the school dropouts cost the US approximately $260,000 in their lifetime.
Sonfield, Kost, Gold and Finer (2011, p.94) state that substantial costs are incurred by federal and state governments in the form of reimbursements, which is a factor that may be prevented through the spread of education on parenthood, especially to individuals living in disadvantaged communities. Lack of proper knowledge on the contraceptive use is one of the factors that leads to the high rates of pregnancies. The increasing number of the unwanted births leads to high costs to the governments, which in turn costs the taxpayer a substantial amount of money. The need to educate people on contraceptive use especially in disadvantaged communities is a factor that is of high importance, especially in the aspect of management of the resources required for the education of the individuals.
Effectiveness of Publicly Funded Family Planning Services
According to the Guttmacher Institute (2015, p.1), state that there are publicly funded family planning services are effective in the management of the rising numbers of the unplanned pregnancies. According to the report, more than half of the pregnancies in the Unites States are unplanned, and by the age of 45, most of the women in the US would have experienced an unplanned pregnancy, which raises the need to increase the public funding for the family planning methods. One of the factors that can be noted in the study was that the need for the contraceptive care is important, especially in women who live in low-income communities.
A scope of the family planning services indicates that there are various family planning clinics that give guidance to those in need of the services, but they are mostly costly. Kotch (2012, p.99) indicates that the family planning services require an individual to have a medical plan or enough finances that can help in getting the required advice on contraceptive use. Due to the high rate of the unplanned pregnancies in the US, the rise in the provision of the family planning methods in the clinics has increased to ensure that the affected individuals have access to the care that they need. Kotch (2012, p.99) adds that in the year 2006, the increased use of the family planning techniques has affected the way through which the services are rendered. In that same year, 8, 199 family planning centers in various states provided the family planning services, with 33% of the centers being health department clinics.
Many women in the reproductive age seek to get the family planning services based on the money that is given by the governments in supporting the cause. Family planning clinics are appealing to the individuals, although they face a major problem of funding. McKenzie and Pinger (2014, p.203) indicate that the aspect of funding is important in ensuring that the individuals have access to the necessary family planning services. According to the authors, the effectiveness of the family planning services is dependent on the funding that is available for the specific projects. The importance of the publicly funded family planning services that are offered is that they help in preventing 1.9 million unplanned pregnancies, which may reflect in 860,000 unintended births and 810,000 abortions. Additionally, they prevent up to 270,000 miscarriages (McKenzie & Pinger, 2014, p.203).
Establishing the clinics and the methods that they will receive funding is a helpful way of structuring the education on the community health that will be helpful in managing the rising numbers of unplanned pregnancies. The benefits that are brought about by the publicly funded family planning services broadly benefit the community. Sonfield (2014, para.4) indicates that the availability of the family planning methods has helped in the prevention of the unplanned pregnancies, which in turn help in saving the state and nation funds that are dedicated to taking care of children raised out of the system. Additionally, the planned family planning services help in the prevention of poor birth outcomes based on the stability of the parents of the child.
Theoretical Framework
The development of the theories that are associated with the use of contraception in the prevention of the unplanned pregnancies. Associating the theories to the factors that lead to the use of the contraceptives is affected by the theories that can be applicable in fostering individuals to use the family planning method. The use of marketing theories to intervene on the use of the contraception is a factor that will help in the study of the behavior of the individuals based on the analysis of the information collected. Additionally, it will be helpful in getting a structure of the research process depending on the available information on the theories.
Social Marketing Theory
The social marketing theory is based on adopting marketing concepts to influence the behavior of individuals for the greater social good. Evans (2006, p.1207) indicates that the aspect of social marketing is effective in promoting public health, especially to a large population of individuals. The approach to marketing is involved in the confrontation of major social problems, which, in this case, can be used in the promotion of responsible sexual behavior that will ensure the prevention of unwanted pregnancies. The social marketing theory can be used in the health sector to influence the behavior of individuals and influence a change in the behavior of the individuals.
The social marketing theory may be used by the public sector or the government to influence the behavior of individuals in the society. The use of the social marketing theory will help in the promotion of responsible contraceptive use, which will help in the promotion of the use of the contraceptives, which will be effective in lessening the rate of unwanted pregnancies. In the social marketing theory, the promotion of the use of the contraceptive and family planning methods will help in improving the chances of the women completing their education and getting a career that will help in the development of the society.
The social marketing theory can be helpful in the use of the funds that are given to the hospitals as more people will seek medical assistance before using the contraceptives. The social marketing theory is applied to populations that will need behavioral change over a long period. The application of the social marketing theory will help in the structuring of a promotional method that can be used by the governmental bodies to ensure that the people are made knowledgeable of the effective and responsible use of contraceptives.
Conclusion and Gaps in Literature
The evaluation of the literature available indicated that there are various implications that can be associated with the use of contraceptives in certain societies. The use of the methods in family planning is based on the method selected by the individual to prevent unplanned pregnancies. As noted in the review of the literature, the use of contraceptives is dependent on the education that the individuals have on reproductive health. Additionally, the society has a considerable input in the way that individuals behave when it comes to the use of contraceptives to plan their pregnancies. Evidence from the studies indicates that studying the behavior of individuals is an aspect that is important in the provision of solutions that will lead to the increase in the use of contraceptives.
Other factors that have been pointed out in the analysis of literature is that there is the need for the individuals to be educated on the proper use of contraceptives. The campaigns that need to be carried out will help in the education of the individuals in the concept of the use of the contraceptives in the low-income communities. However, the collection of data revealed that there is limited academic literature on the topic, which is one of the factors that influenced the research. The need to conduct this study will be helpful in getting information for the study. Various methodologies will be applied in the search for the information for the study.

References
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