# Understanding Behavioral Patterns in Contraceptive Use

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2020 · $162,926

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This project comprises the behavioral research component of the U54 Contraceptive Research Center (PI:
Georg). In the United States, the proportion of pregnancies that is unintended—either mistimed or unwanted—
is high (approximately 45%), but only a small fraction (5%) of unintended pregnancies are due to contraceptive
failure. Instead, the vast majority of unintended pregnancies occur to couples who were either inconsistently
using contraception (41%) or not using contraception at all (54%). In clinical trials, consistent use of effective
contraception reduces a couple's risk of an unintended pregnancy to nearly zero – that is, the clinical
trial/perfect use failure rate for most methods is extremely low (e.g., 2% for condoms, 4% for withdrawal,
and .3% for oral contraceptive pills). However, typical use failure rates for couples are much higher (e.g., 18%
for condoms, 22% for withdrawal, and 9% for oral contraceptive pills). We know very little about these
differences between perfect and typical use failure rates, largely due to data limitations. We propose to use
newly available, innovative data that overcomes the prior barriers to understanding these typical use patterns.
The Relationship Dynamics and Social Life (RDSL) project collected data on a population-representative
random sample of 953 women ages 18 and 19 in a Michigan county. Following a face-to-face 50-minute
interview conducted by a professional interviewer at the University of Michigan's Survey Research Center, the
young women completed online or phone follow-up interviews weekly for 2.5 years (130 weeks). Weekly
measures of contraceptive use and consistency provide an unprecedented opportunity to understand the
dynamics of typical contraceptive use practices among the 2,500 couples included in the study. We propose
an innovative data reduction technique – sequence analysis – to describe, summarize, and classify typical use
patterns. Because the data are based on a population that is diverse in terms of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic
characteristics, and adolescent experiences related to pregnancy, we will also analyze these patterns for
population sub-groups. Further, because the data also includes measures of relationship characteristics with
weekly precision, we propose previously impossible analyses of how the characteristics of couples that
change weekly (e.g., conflict, sexual exclusivity, etc.) influence their weekly contraceptive use and
consistency, and contribute to the overall patterns of effective (or ineffective) contraceptive use throughout
their relationship. Thus, the proposed project investigates a persistent puzzle in understanding couples'
contraceptive use behaviors (why typical use failure rates are so high), by combining an innovative dataset
(RDSL) with state-of-the-art statistical analysis techniques (sequence analysis, couple-level fixed effects
models). The results of this project will contribute to the development of new contraceptive me...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9931064
- **Project number:** 5P50HD093540-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** JENNIFER S. BARBER
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $162,926
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9931064

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9931064, Understanding Behavioral Patterns in Contraceptive Use (5P50HD093540-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9931064. Licensed CC0.

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