Informed Policy Making for the Prevention of Unwanted Pregnancy

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Abstract
California health and welfare officials asked the authors to identify ways that their programs could encourage service use among low-income women. The project posed a challenge: The clients wanted to identify supply-side barriers amenable to intervention, but prior research suggested other factors might be more influential. The approach was to examine service-related issues, but in the broader context of women's experiences. The authors identify factors amenable to intervention, including inaccurate beliefs about methods. Other important influences—such as instability of relationships, skepticism about planning, or unsatisfactory method experiences—may be beyond the reach of specific policies, but are nevertheless critical to understanding program context. Findings suggest that punitive messages and policies based on a simplistic model of behavior may be unrealistic and ineffective.