Department of Community Health Sciences, Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Sex Reprod Healthc. 2022 Jun;32:100725. doi: 10.1016/j.srhc.2022.100725. Epub 2022 Apr 15.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program grants young, undocumented immigrants work authorization and protections from deportation, with about 1.3 million eligible for the program. This exploratory study examines the association between DACA status and contraceptive use among undocumented young adults.
We conducted an internet-based survey between June 2017 and August 2017 among Asian and Latinx undocumented immigrants (N = 204) aged 18-31 years in California. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to examine the associations between DACA status and contraceptive use and consistency.
Among undocumented participants who were sexually active, about 60% reported having unprotected sex (52% DACA vs. 63% non-DACA) and about 80% reported that documentation status affects how they access care for sexual/reproductive health at least a little. Overall, Asians were 81% less likely to have unprotected sex compared to Latinx individuals (aOR = 0.19, 95%CI: 0.06, 0.56). DACA recipients were more likely to report using contraception every time compared to non-recipients (42.9% vs. 30.5%, p = 0.04). DACA recipients were 63% less likely to report having unprotected sex in the past 12 months compared to those without DACA (aOR = 0.37, 95%CI: 0.14, 0.99). DACA recipients were more than three times as likely to use contraception during sex every time compared to those without DACA (aOR = 3.19, 95%CI: 1.19, 8.54).
This study demonstrates that undocumented young adults have low rates of contraceptive use; however, DACA is associated with improved reproductive health for certain undocumented immigrants.
State and federal policies that extend protections and promote immigrant integration are needed to fully achieve reproductive justice for all.
童年入境暂缓遣返（DACA）计划向年轻的无证移民授予工作授权并保护他们免受驱逐，约有 130 万人有资格参加该计划。本探索性研究旨在调查 DACA 身份与无证年轻成年人避孕措施使用之间的关联。
我们于 2017 年 6 月至 8 月期间在加利福尼亚州对年龄在 18-31 岁之间的亚洲和拉丁裔无证移民（N=204）进行了一项基于互联网的调查。采用二变量和多变量逻辑回归来检验 DACA 身份与避孕措施使用及一致性之间的关联。
在有过性行为的无证参与者中，约有 60%的人报告说曾发生过无保护性行为（52%的 DACA 参与者与 63%的非 DACA 参与者），约有 80%的人报告说，他们的身份至少在一定程度上影响他们获得性/生殖健康护理的方式。总体而言，亚洲人发生无保护性行为的可能性比拉丁裔人低 81%（调整比值比[aOR]，0.19，95%置信区间：0.06，0.56）。与非 DACA 参与者相比，DACA 参与者报告每次都使用避孕措施的可能性更高（42.9%与 30.5%，p=0.04）。与没有 DACA 的人相比，过去 12 个月内发生无保护性行为的 DACA 参与者比例低 63%（调整比值比[aOR]，0.37，95%置信区间：0.14，0.99）。与没有 DACA 的人相比，DACA 参与者每次性行为中使用避孕措施的可能性高出三倍以上（调整比值比[aOR]，3.19，95%置信区间：1.19，8.54）。
本研究表明，无证年轻成年人的避孕措施使用率较低；然而，DACA 与某些无证移民改善生殖健康相关。
需要制定州和联邦政策来扩大保护范围并促进移民融入，以实现所有人的生殖公正。
