| Table 1. Mean values, percentage distribution of abortion patients, by selected characteristics, and percentages with certain characteristics, all according to abortion method chosen | |||
| Characteristic | Total | Surgical | Medical |
| (N=304) | (N=118) | (N=186) | |
| Age (mean) | 27.5 | 27.2 | 27.6 |
| Ethnicity | |||
| Black | 12.4 | 8.7 | 14.7 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
| Hispanic/Latina | 11.0 | 8.7 | 12.5 |
| White non-Hispanic | 68.2 | 73.0 | 65.2 |
| Mixed ethnicity/other | 4.7 | 6.1 | 3.8 |
| Education | |||
| <high school | 23.1 | 26.2 | 21.0 |
| Some college | 41.4 | 45.8 | 38.7 |
| Completed college/some graduate ed. | 35.5 | 27.9 | 40.3 |
| Marital status | |||
| Married | 23.8 | 21.2 | 25.4 |
| Not married | 76.2 | 78.8 | 74.6 |
| Employment status | |||
| Does not work outside home | 22.6 | 21.2 | 23.5 |
| Works full-time | 53.8 | 56.8 | 51.9 |
| Works part-time | 23.6 | 22.0 | 24.6 |
| Parity | |||
| 0 | 48.5 | 49.6 | 47.8 |
| >=1 | 51.5 | 50.4 | 52.2 |
| % ever miscarried | 20.5 | 18.6 | 21.6 |
| % ever had an abortion | 47.4 | 42.4 | 50.5 |
| Comfort with decision to have an abortion | |||
| Very comfortable | 44.2 | 42.2 | 45.4 |
| Somewhat comfortable | 40.2 | 39.7 | 40.5 |
| Somewhat uncomfortable | 12.3 | 15.5 | 10.3 |
| Very uncomfortable | 3.3 | 2.6 | 3.8 |
| % ever raped/sexually abused | 22.1 | 19.8 | 23.5 |
| Table 2. Mean rating of importance of attributes of abortion methods, by method chosen | ||
| Attribute | Surgical | Medical |
| (N=118) | (N=186) | |
| Is very effective | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| Can be used very early in pregnancy | 4.3 | 4.5 |
| Lets you have the abortion over with quickly | 4.6 | 4.0** |
| Doesn't have side effects like nausea, headache and diarrhea | 3.8 | 3.2** |
| Doesn't involve heavy bleeding | 3.6 | 2.9** |
| Hardly ever causes major health problems (infection, tearing the uterus) | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Doesn't involve surgery | 3.1 | 4.2** |
| Lets you have an abortion without people you are close to finding out about it | 3.9 | 3.9 |
| Lets you have the abortion in the privacy of your home | 2.3 | 3.9** |
| Can be used later in pregnancy (after 9 weeks) | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Doesn't involve seeing the blood and blood clots during the abortion | 3.0 | 1.9** |
| Doesn't involve painful cramping for more than an hour | 3.6 | 2.5** |
| Doesn't involve bleeding longer than 7 days | 3.5 | 2.9** |
| Has been used for abortion for a long time | 3.9 | 3.1** |
| Takes only one or two office visits | 3.8 | 3.4** |
| Has a doctor or nurse around during the abortion | 4.1 | 2.8** |
| Lets you have control during the abortion | 3.4 | 3.5 |
| Doesn't involve surgical instruments being inside you | 2.6 | 3.9** |
| Lets you know where and when the abortion is going to happen | 3.9 | 3.4** |
| Is like a natural miscarriage | 2.6 | 3.9** |
| Is inexpensive | 3.3 | 3.5 |
| **Difference is significant at p<.01, t-test. ***Difference is significant at p <.001, t-test. Note: Responses were recorded on a five-point Likert scale, with 1=not important; 2=slightly important; 3=moderately important; 4=very important; and 5=extremely important. | ||
| Table 3. Odds ratios (and 95% confidence intervals) from multiple logistic model predicting characteristics associated with choice of medical abortion | |||
| Characteristic | Odds ratio | ||
| Lets you have the abortion over with quickly | 0.32** (0.15, 0.69) | ||
| Doesn't have side effects like nausea, headache and diarrhea | 1.08 (0.54, 2.18) | ||
| Doesn't involve heavy bleeding | 0.74 (0.35, 1.57) | ||
| Doesn't involve surgery | 2.72** (1.46, 5.07) | ||
| Lets you have the abortion in the privacy of your home | 2.03** (1.25, 3.30) | ||
| Doesn't involve seeing the blood and blood clots during the abortion | 0.46** (0.26, 0.82) | ||
| Doesn't involve painful cramping for more than an hour | 0.46* (0.22, 0.97) | ||
| Doesn't involve bleeding longer than 7 days | 1.83 (0.88, 3.82) | ||
| Has been used for abortion for a long time | 0.95 (0.51, 1.78) | ||
| Takes only one or two office visits | 1.39 (0.77, 2.52) | ||
| Has a doctor or nurse around during the abortion | 0.34*** (0.19, 0.61) | ||
| Doesn't involve surgical instruments being inside you | 1.04 (0.53, 2.03) | ||
| Lets you know where and when the abortion is going to happen | 0.43 (0.22, 0.83) | ||
| Is like a natural miscarriage | 3.25*** (1.74, 6.06) | ||
| Model chi-square (d.f.) | 249.62 (14) | ||
| -2 log likelihood function | 130.44 | ||
| *Significant at p<.05. **Significant at p<.01. ***Significant at p<.001. Note: Dependent variable is coded: choice of medical procedure=1; choice of surgical procedure=0. | |||
| Table 4. Mean scores for expectations and experiences, by type of abortion procedure, according to component of abortion experience | ||||
| Component | Expectations | Experiences | ||
| Medical | Surgical | Medical | Surgical | |
| (N=186) | (N=118) | (N=165) | (N=90) | |
| Pain† | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 2.9*** |
| Anxiety† | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.9 |
| Bleeding amount† | 3.5 | 3.1*** | 3.4 | 2.5*** |
| Duration of bleeding‡ | 2.7 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 2.6*** |
| ***Difference is significant at p<.001. †Mean score: 1, none; 2, slight; 3, moderate; 4, high; 5, extreme. ‡Mean score: 1, 1 to 3 days; 2, 4 to 6 days; 3, 7 to 9 days; 4, 10 to 12 days; 5, >=13 days. | ||||
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© copyright 2001, The Alan Guttmacher Institute. |