Long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) use in the United States has become increasingly common, however, barriers to uptake exist across social groups. LARC never-use is more common among those who place high importance on religion in daily life and those who are politically conservative. In these communities, interrelated religious and political beliefs about abortion and contraception may impact contraceptive decisions. To explore this phenomenon, we propose a mixed-methods study to investigate how the persistence of conservative religious beliefs has impacted trends in LARC use.
Objective 1. Identify differences in LARC use by religious identity. Using data from women and men respondents of the 2011-13 through 2022-23 waves of the National Survey of Family Growth we will assess pathways through which religious identity is connected to LARC use within female-male partnerships. We will also test for moderation by age, marital/relationship status, educational attainment, and race-ethnicity.
Objective 2. Explore social, cultural, and religious factors that influence current LARC non-use. Using findings from the Objective 1 quantitative phase, we will conduct focus group discussions with members of religious communities in Ohio most likely to not currently use LARC. Target participant populations will be identified using findings from Objective 1 studies. Guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework, focus group discussions will explore five domains: knowledge; social role and identity; social influences; environmental context and resources; and beliefs about consequences.