Abstract

PIP: The Voluntary Family Planning Program (PPFV) of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), established in 1972, provides clinic services for clients both with or without health insurance. From 1972 to 1976 PPFV has provided services to 998,000 acceptors. A PPFV-IMSS pilot study done from November 1974 to April 1975 showed that 53% of the acceptors are between 25 to 34 years old, with an average of 29.9. About 22% are in the age group 15-24 years; 25% are older than 34. 26.4% have 2 or less living children; 58.3% have less than 4 living children. 23% desire more children, the mean being 0.4 children. 7.7% had no formal education; 38.7% had completed primary education. Average family income is 3000 pesos per month. Before entering the program, 43% had used some contraceptive method, mainly oral contraceptives. These acceptor characteristics are the common ones observed in the initial phases of any family planning program, e.g., the acceptors are older, high parity women with more education and higher incomes. IMSS data, and data collected by the Social Security Administration, indicate that marginal groups of the population have not been reached yet. The PPFV-IMSS program has been relatively successful in covering high risk women, but low risk women and women with little education and low income continue to be underrepresented. There may be 1 million sexually active teenagers unprotected by contraception. The health and demographic impacts the program hopes to attain may be lessened by the percentage of women who had already been practicing contraception prior to entering the program. The program should redouble its efforts to attract acceptors who have never practiced contraception.