Family Planning Perspectives, the leading source of peer-reviewed research on sexual and reproductive health in the United States and other developed countries, is reintroduced today as Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. Published by The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) since 1969, Perspectives has continually evolved to meet the needs of an ever-changing field.
The name change reflects the breadth of topics published in Perspectives, and better represents the ever-widening scope of research on sexual and reproductive health. The journal has been redesigned in response to readers' requests for an easier-to-read format. What has not changed is the journal's commitment to publishing high-quality, policy- and program-relevant research.
"Perspectives has always made it a priority to publish the most relevant, most rigorous research on sexual and reproductive health," said Patricia Donovan, AGI's director of publications and editor in chief of Perspectives. "With the name change and redesign, we hope to make the journal even more clear and useful."
The History Family Planning Perspectives was launched in 1969, amid increasing awareness that many poor Americans lacked access to family planning information and services; a growing understanding that this lack had adverse consequences for women, families and society; and the first-ever commitment by Congress to provide substantial funding to help implement programs that work. Over the years, new research has made it increasingly clear that many more aspects of sexual and reproductive health merit study, publication and wider understanding. As the field has expanded its focus, the contents of the journal have followed. In the 1970s, Perspectives published some of the most influential studies on teenage pregnancy and childbearing; during the 1980s and 1990s, coverage expanded to include the broader concerns of sexual and reproductive health.
In this Issue The January/February, 2002 issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health features the following articles:
• "The Trade-Off Between Hormonal Contraceptives and Condoms Among Adolescents," by Mary A. Ott et al. Condoms and hormonal contraceptives carry complementary benefits and risks, but rates of combined use of the two methods remain low among adolescents. This study finds that adolescents trade off between hormonal contraceptives and condoms depending on the type of relationship they are in and their perceptions of pregnancy and STD risk. The authors suggest that providers tailor counseling to oung people's perceived risk of pregnancy and STDs in order to improve dual-method use.
• "U.S. Agencies Providing Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in 1999," by Lawrence Finer, Jacqueline Darroch and Jennifer Frost. Nearly one-quarter of women who obtain medical contraceptive services receive care from publicly funded clinics. These clinics, which are run by local health departments, Planned Parenthood affiliates, community centers, migrant health centers and other agencies, serve more than seven million contraceptive clients per year and also offer a wide variety of reproductive health and related services.
• "Did Abortion Legalization Reduce the Number of Unwanted Children? Evidence from Adoptions," by Marianne Bitler and Madeline Zavodny. This study finds that the legalization of abortion in the United States led to a decline in the number of children adopted. The authors suggest that by reducing the number of "unwanted" children, abortion may have improved average infant health and children's living conditions.
• "Having an Abortion Using Mifepristone and Home Misoprostol: A Qualitative Analysis of Women's Experiences," by Stephen Fielding, Emme Edmunds and Eric Schaff. Many women who choose to have a medical abortion rather than a surgical abortion do so for its naturalness, for the privacy it affords and to avoid the perceived pain and trauma of surgery--yet they also experience anxiety and uncertainty about pain, side effects and efficacy. Through in-depth interviews with women several weeks after their medical abortion, this study finds that these concerns diminish considerably once the abortion is completed.
• "Early Childbearing and Children's Achievement and Behavior over Time," by Sandra Hofferth and Lori Reid. Some research finds that children of teenage parents are at greater risk than children of older parents for a host of health, social and economic disadvantages, while other research suggests that there is no difference between the two groups. This study addresses the environmental factors that may influence differences in findings--for example, women who have a child at a young age differ initially from those who do not; norms have changed, reducing informal pressure to drop out of school or otherwise conceal a pregnancy; and programs to help teenage mothers improve their academic skills and raise their children are now more readily available.