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Oral contraceptive use
K Wilkins1, H Johansen, M P Beaudet
1Health Statistics Division at Statistics Canada, Ottawa. wilkkat@statcan.ca
Objectives:
This article profiles Canadian women aged 15 to 49 who use oral contraceptives (OCs), and compares certain of their characteristics with those of non-users. It also examines associations between OC use and selected characteristics, including cardiovascular risk factors.
Data Source:
The data are from the cross-sectional household component of Statistics Canada's 1996/97 National Population Health Survey. The analysis is based on a sample of 21,996 women aged 15 to 49, weighted to represent an estimated 7.6 million women.
Analytical Techniques:
Cross-tabulations were used to estimate the percentage of women aged 15 to 49 who use OCs and to compare selected health behaviours of users and non-users. A multiple logistic regression model was used to model relationships between selected characteristics and OC use.
Main Results:
An estimated 1.3 million women aged 15 to 49, or 18%, reported using OCs in 1996/97. OC use was significantly associated with being young, unmarried, sexually active, and having prescription drug insurance and relatively high education. About one-third of OC users also smoked.