Publications by authors named "Jennifer Yarger"

Previous research has shown that employment is an important social context affecting fertility, yet relatively little is known about the extent to which work characteristics affect fertility expectations. Using over 25 years of data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we analyzed the associations between part-time work and characteristics associated with autonomy over working time, specifically self-employment and managerial/professional occupation, and childbearing expectations among women ages 18-45 (N=4,415). Logistic regression models for longitudinal data reveal that work characteristics are significantly associated with fertility expectations, but that the specific nature of the relationship varies by parity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: The objective of this study was to describe the use of telemedicine for contraception in a sample of young adults and examine differences by health insurance coverage.

Study Design: We analyzed survey data collected from May 2020 to July 2022 from individuals at risk of pregnancy aged 18 to 29 recruited at 29 community colleges in California and Texas. We used multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression models with random effects for site and individual to compare the use of telemedicine to obtain contraception by insurance status, sociodemographic characteristics, and state.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Symptoms of mental distress increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among older adolescents and young adults. Mental health distress may make it more challenging for young people to seek other needed health care, including contraception. This study explored the association of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress with delays in getting a contraceptive method or prescription.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Integrating digital technologies into sexual health education can offer advantages for connecting with adolescents, particularly populations who may be underserved through common school-based approaches. This study assessed the effectiveness of In the Know, an in-person, group-based sexual health education program integrating digital technologies, codesigned with adolescents.

Methods: The study design was a cluster randomized trial with 1,263 adolescents aged 13-19 in 95 cohorts, implemented in community-based organizations and schools throughout Fresno County, California.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: This study examines the concern that contraception affects future fertility among community college students and its association with contraceptive use.

Study Design: We used baseline data from a randomized controlled trial with 2060 community college students assigned female at birth. We used mixed-effects multivariate logistic regression adjusted for clustered data to assess sociodemographic factors associated with concerns about contraception affecting future fertility and to test the association between this concern and contraceptive use.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Young people's ability to use their preferred contraceptive method is an indicator of reproductive autonomy and healthcare access. State policies can hinder or facilitate access to a preferred contraceptive method.

Objective: This study compared use of preferred contraceptive method in Texas and California, states with contrasting health policy contexts that impact health insurance coverage and access to subsidized family planning services.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Emergency contraception (EC), the 'last chance' contraceptive method, has gained significance post-Roe, but most young people do not know their options.

Methods: We conducted an educational intervention on EC among 1,053 students aged 18-25 years. We assessed changes in knowledge of key aspects of EC using generalized estimating equations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Telehealth use rapidly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, including for contraceptive care (e.g., counseling and method provision).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Telemedicine expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, including for contraceptive services. Data are needed to understand whether young people can access telemedicine for contraception, especially in underserved populations.

Objective: To compare young people's perceived access to telemedicine visits for contraception during the COVID-19 pandemic by food and housing insecurity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In the last decade, the use of technology-based sexual health education has increased. Multiple studies have shown the feasibility of technology-based interventions, while a subset has also shown efficacy in improving youths' sexual health outcomes such as increased condom use and knowledge. However, little is known about health educators' experiences in integrating technology to augment sexual health curricula.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Social distancing measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 may profoundly impact young people's relationships. This study compared adolescent and young adults' romantic relationships and sexual activity before and after social distancing policies were enacted.

Methods: In June 2020, 351 youth participating in an ongoing intervention study in Fresno County, California completed an online survey about their experiences related to COVID-19.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Young people in the United States know little about contraceptive options available to them, although method use is sensitive to individual preferences, and method switching is common. For young people to gain reproductive autonomy, a first step is to be aware of different contraceptives, including hormonal and nonhormonal methods. We tested whether an educational intervention delivered on community college campuses was effective in increasing contraceptive awareness.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Contraceptive use is lower among students attending community college than 4-year college students, which may be due to financial barriers to accessing contraceptives. This study examined insurance coverage, access to free or low-cost birth control, and concerns about contraceptive costs among women in community college.

Methods: We analyzed data from a study conducted at five community colleges in California and Oregon, which have expanded Medicaid coverage of family planning services for low-income individuals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Access to a smartphone is nearly universal among American adolescents, and most of them have used the internet to seek health information. Integrating digital technologies into health program delivery may expand opportunities for youth to receive important health information, yet there are few rigorous studies assessing the effectiveness of this type of intervention.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of In the Know (ITK), a program integrating in-person and technology-based sexual health education for underserved adolescents.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The aim of the article was to understand community-level factors associated with the decline in the adolescent birth rate (ABR) in California from 2000 to 2014.

Methods: We consolidated multiple data sources at the level of the Medical Service Study Area (MSSA), a federally recognized subcounty geographic unit (N = 497). We used ordinary least squares regression to examine predictors of change in the ABR at the MSSA level over three periods of notable change in California's ABR: 2000-2002, 2006-2008, and 2012-2014.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Context: Publicly funded family planning providers are well positioned to help uninsured individuals learn about health insurance coverage options and effectively navigate the enrollment process. Understanding how these providers are engaged in enrollment assistance and the challenges they face in providing assistance is important for maximizing their role in health insurance outreach and enrollment.

Methods: In 2014, some 684 sites participating in California's family planning program were surveyed about their involvement in helping clients enroll in health insurance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare awareness and use of family planning services by rural and urban program site among a sample of adolescent women before participation in the federal Personal Responsibility Education Program in California.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of survey data collected from youth before participation in California's Personal Responsibility Education Program. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted for a sample of 4,614 females ages 14-18 years to compare awareness and use of family planning services between participants at rural and urban program sites, controlling for the program setting and participant demographic, sexual, and reproductive characteristics.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Local implementation of evidence-based curricula, including sex education, has received increasing attention. Although there are expectations that practitioners will implement evidence-based programs with fidelity, little is known regarding the experiences of instructors in meeting such standards. During 2005 to 2009, the California Department of Public Health funded local agencies through its Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs (TPP) to provide comprehensive sex education.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this article, we use newly available data from the Relationship Dynamics and Social Life (RDSL) study to compare a wide range of attitudes related to pregnancy for 961 black and white young women. We also investigate the extent to which race differences are mediated by, or net of, family background, childhood socioeconomic status (SES), adolescent experiences related to pregnancy, and current SES. Compared with white women, black women generally have less positive attitudes toward young nonmarital sex, contraception, and childbearing, and have less desire for sex in the upcoming year.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Scholars and policy makers have expressed concern that social and economic changes occurring throughout Asia are threatening the well-being of older adults by undercutting their systems of family support. Using a sample of 1,654 men and women aged 45 and older from the Chitwan Valley Family Study in Nepal, we evaluated the relationship between individuals' nonfamily experiences, such as education, travel, and nonfamily living, and their likelihood of receiving personal care in older adulthood. Overall, we found that among individuals in poor health, those who had received more education, traveled to the capital city, or lived away from their families were less likely to have received personal care in the previous two weeks than adults who had not had these experiences.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This paper reports results from a unique experiment conducted in the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) to gauge the effect of question format on men's reports of contraceptive use at last sexual intercourse. Respondents received separate questions about their own and their partners' contraceptive use or one combined question about either partner's contraceptive use. We examine whether receiving separate questions, as opposed to one combined question, is related to higher reports of using any contraceptive method, specific methods, female methods in addition to male methods, and the number of methods reported.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF