Fertility, family planning, and women's health: new data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth

Abstract

Objectives: This report shows data on a wide range of topics from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), including: pregnancy and birth, marriage, divorce, cohabitation, sexual intercourse, contraception, infertility, use of family planning and other medical services, and health conditions and behavior.

Methods: The data in this report are based on in-person interviews with a national sample of 10,847 women 15-44 years of age. The interviews lasted an average of 103 minutes. The response rate was 79 percent. The sample data are adjusted for nonresponse and are national estimates.

Results: Following large increases in the 1970's and 1980's, the proportion of teenagers who have ever had sexual intercourse decreased slightly between 1990 and 1995; condom use, both at first intercourse and currently, has increased markedly since the 1970's. These changes may have contributed to the decreases in the teen birth rate observed in the 1990's. For all women 15-44 years of age, the number whose partner was currently using the condom (at the date of interview) increased from 3.6 million in 1982 to 5.1 million in 1988 and 7.9 million in 1995. About 8 percent of women reported that their first intercourse was not voluntary. This result is consistent with an earlier national survey. About 20 percent reported that they had been forced by a man to have intercourse at some time in their lives. About 10 percent of births in 1990-95 were unwanted by the mother compared with 12 percent in 1984-88. The decrease in unwanted births was particularly large for black women. It appears that the prevalence of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and vaginal douching have both decreased since 1988.