A comparison of adolescent reproductive behavior of Puerto Rican women in New York and Puerto Rico.

Abstract

Adolescent sexuality and childbearing have become issues of great importance in the United States. However, very little information is available on the reproductive-related attitudes and behavior among Hispanic adolescents. This study investigates this topic among Puerto Rican adolescent women in an attempt to expand the existent knowledge about this particular subgroup. The data for the study come from two surveys--in Puerto Rico in 1982 and in New York in 1985--that collected information on fertility and family planning, as well as demographic and background characteristics, among married and unmarried women 15-44 years old. Findings suggest that a higher proportion of unmarried Puerto Rican teenage women in New York had had sexual intercourse than adolescents in Puerto Rico. In addition, they were more likely to have ever used a family planning method, and to have used more reliable methods than their peers on the island. New York teens were also more likely to have ever experienced a premarital pregnancy, and to have had a baby outside marriage. The comparison of teenage and young adult women on contraceptive use, pregnancy and childbearing suggests no cohort differences, after controlling for marital status and the months they were exposed to these behaviors. Having had a baby during the teenage years seems to have had a negative socioeconomic impact among both groups of Puerto Rican women who were age 20-24 at the time of the surveys, as measured by several socioeconomic indicators. The results from the multivariate analyses suggest that having had a child and religiosity were positively associated with the use of contraception in the two samples. Age at first sex and older age at interview were also predictors of ever having a live birth in the two groups of Puerto Rican adolescents. Some policy implications are discussed, as well as areas for future research.