CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH CONTRACEPTIVE USE AMONG ADOLESCENT FEMALES IN SCHOOL-BASED FAMILY-PLANNING PROGRAMS

Among 162 young female family planning clients at four school-based he alth centers, a step-wise regression analysis shows that students' con sistency of contraceptive use is associated with only a few specific s ervice and provider characteristics. For example, clients who have mor e contacts with the family planning program use contraceptives more co nsistently than those with fewer contacts. On the other hand, young wo men whose follow-up visits are scheduled to occur within one month of their previous visit are less consistent contraceptive users than othe r clients. Contraceptive use is not related to whether contraceptives are dispensed on site, whether health education and counseling are pro vided by a health educator, whether contraceptive services are part of a comprehensive array of services that include medical or counseling services, or whether a family planning visit results in the dispensing of contraceptives or a prescription for contraceptives.