DETERMINANTS OF CONTRACEPTIVE USE AMONG WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE IN GREAT-BRITAIN AND GERMANY .1. DEMOGRAPHIC-FACTORS

Multifactorial analyses of data from representative British and German national contraception surveys were used to examine the principal dem ographic determinants of contraceptive use by women. Contraceptive use appeared to be determined mainly by reference to 'reproductive status ' (the combined impact of age, marital status, parity and future child wish). Women who were postponing pregnancies were using oral contrace ptives, whereas those who wanted no more children relied more on intra uterine devices or sterilisation. Differences between the countries su ggested that the choice of contraceptive method was influenced by heal th care policy, the organisation of the relevant services and differen tial provider preferences. The contraceptive method used was also rela ted to having occasional rather than steady sexual partners (more cond om use), lower educational level (less oral contraceptive use) and fre quent church attendance (greater use of condoms and periodic abstinenc e). Contraception decisions appeared to follow a fixed pattern, based more on a couple's demographic situation (reproductive status, country , educational level and religious beliefs) than on the characteristics of the contraceptive methods. This resulted in an unnecessarily restr icted choice of methods.