Contraceptive care in the VA health care system

Abstract

Background: Little is known about contraceptive care within the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of documented contraception by race/ethnicity within the VA and to examine the association between receiving primary care in women's health clinics (WHCs) and having a documented contraceptive method.

Study design: We examined national VA administrative and pharmacy data for 103,950 female veterans aged 18-45 years who made at least one primary care clinic visit in 2008. Multivariable regression models were used to examine the associations between race/ethnicity and receipt of care in a WHC with having a method of contraception while controlling for confounders.

Results: Only 22% of women veterans had a documented method of contraception during 2008. After adjusting for potential confounders, Hispanic and African-American women were significantly less likely to have a method compared to whites [odds ratio (OR): 0.82; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.76-0.88 and OR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.81-0.89, respectively]. Women who went to WHCs were significantly more likely to have a method of contraception compared to women who went to traditional primary care clinics (OR: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.97-2.14).

Conclusions: Overall contraceptive prevalence in the VA is low, but receiving care in a WHC is associated with a significantly higher likelihood of having a contraceptive method.