Contraceptive use patterns among Spanish single youth.

OBJECTIVE

To examine sexual and contraceptive use patterns, including method choice, among unmarried youth in Spain.

METHOD

The analysis is based on the 1999 Youth Survey. The analytical sample comprised 696 never-married sexually experienced women aged 15-24 and 1070 men. Logistic regression was used to assess the influence of various socio-demographic factors on contraceptive use, and multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the determinants of method choice.

RESULTS

Given the trend towards earlier sexual initiation and increasing marriage postponement, sexual activity prior to marriage has become the norm in Spain. Nine out of 10 sexually active single youth reported contraceptive use at their last intercourse. Differentials across social subgroups were small, with the exception of those based on educational level. Young women and men with more than one partner in the previous year and those not currently in a stable relationship were more likely to engage in unprotected intercourse. Regarding the choice of method, the analysis revealed that, although condom is the dominant method, there is a tendency to shift to the pill with increasing age and relationship stability.

CONCLUSION

The level of contraceptive protection among unmarried youth is reasonably high, but a nontrivial proportion of youth engage in unprotected sexual activity.