Asian American and Pacific Islander
Women's Health
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Reproduction and Maternal Health
Contraception
What is it?
Why is it important?
Resources
References
What Is It?
Contraception is birth control methods and ways to prevent contracting sexually transmitted infections. Examples of contraceptive barriers are oral birth control pills, vaginal rings, female and male condoms, intrauterine devices, diaphragms, and cervical caps.
Why Is It Important?
Contraception use increases when Asian women have been in the United States longer. According to a study by the National Asian Women's Health Organization, only 39% of Asian women always use a method of contraception. Those that did not use contraceptives stated that the reason was that they trusted their partner and were in a monogamous relationship. When they did use contraceptive methods, the most used form of contraception is the male condom. The study also showed that many Asian women do not know about other forms of birth control (female condom, diaphragm, cervical cap, sponge). Some Asian countries, including Vietnam and China , have had limits on family size and have experience in family planning. However, they may not know all the contraceptive methods offered. Also, many Asian cultures are patriarchal and men must be consulted prior to receiving health care and contraception.
Research on sexual behavior among Asian American has been mixed. One research has shown that 67.4% of Asian American women have had at least one sexual partner in their lifetime, with an average of 4 partners for those who are sexually active. Other studies have shown that Asian American adolescents may also be at lower risk for engaging in sexual behavior but have less consistent use of condoms.
Resources
• Asian American Health
http://asianamericanhealth.nlm.nih.gov/intro.html• National Asian Women's Health Organization
http://www.nawho.org• National Women's Health Resource Center – Birth Control Pills
http://www.healthywomen.org/content.cfm?L1=3&L2=112• National Women's Health Resource Center – Contraception
http://www.healthywomen.org/content.cfm?L1=3&L2=20• Planned Parenthood - Birth Control and Emergency Contraceptives
http://www.plannedparenthood.com/pp2/portal/medicalinfo/birthcontrol/
http://www.plannedparenthood.com/pp2/portal/medicalinfo/ec/
• The South Asian Women's NETwork
http://www.sawnet.org/
References
• National Asian Women's Health Organization. (1997). Expanding options: A reproductive and sexual health survey of Asian American women. Retrieved on April 4, 2005, from http://www.nawho.org/pubs/NAWHOOptions.pdf
• National Asian Women's Health Organization. (1998). Learning from communities: A guide to addressing the reproductive health needs of Vietnamese American women . Retrieved on April 4, 2005, from http://www.nawho.org/pubs/NAWHOLearn.pdf
• Schuster, MA, Bell, RM, Nakajima, GA, & Kanouse, DE. (1998). The sexual practices of Asian and Pacific Islander high school students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 23 (4), 221 – 231
• Ursin, G, Wu, AH, Hoover, RN, West, DW, Nomura, AM, Kolonel, LN, Pike, MC, & Ziegler, RG. (1999). Breast cancer and oral contraceptive use in Asian-American women. American Journal of Epidemiology, 150 (6), 561 – 567