What

Contraceptive services are often difficult for young people to access in the U.S.. Community college students, who are disproportionately first generation college students, low-income and generally an understudied population compared to students attending four year institutions, can benefit tremendously from greater access to care. Our community college initiative aims to redress long-standing challenges in accessing contraceptives by helping students to identify their reproductive health  needs and connecting them to care.

 

When

I entered the project in year two and a half out of a five-year study in September, 2021 to present. 

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Research goals: To increase access to high-quality contraceptive care for young women at community colleges in support of their reproductive autonomy, educational advancement, and economic empowerment.

 

Accomplishments: Presented paper at the 2022 Texas Public Health Association Conference: Accessing Preferred Contraceptive Methods: Differences between community college students in Texas and California

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Research Setup

 

Recruitment 

I regularly attend community college events in Texas and recruit and screen students. I have also connected with key stakeholders on campus to figure out where the most effective places to recruit students and honed in on those specific areas. Additionally, I have reached out to professors and presented information of our study during classes. When recruiting at events, I asked students passing by about our study. When foot traffic was slow I would walk around the event and let students know about our study and what our eligibility is to participate. If a student is eligible, I have them choose a time that is most convenient for them on our calendly link. 

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Student Voices User Interviews

When a student is not eligible for our study, I refer them to our student voices user interviews. During these interviews, I ask them questions about their biggest concerns for students at their college, why a student might not feel comfortable taking part in our study, where the best areas on campus are to recruit students and user feedback on promotional materials. 

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Quantitative Data collection

Once a participant signs up I conduct a one-and-a-half-hour enrollment which entails a second screening, going over a consent form, collectig contact information and administering the first survey which include over 1000 questions and then I present the educational materials. After I present the educational materials I administer a contextual survey of their reactions to the educational materials.

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Quantitative Data Analysis

I analyzed quantitative data from over 1000 variables from the baseline survey collected thus far. I create possible research questions from variables we collect from surveys and see if there is a statistical significance in our findings. I identified a research topic about preferred contraceptive methods and I am a co-author of that paper and presented it at the 2022 Texas Public Health Association conference.

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Presentation Objective: 

Identify differences in the ability of community college students in Texas and California to access their preferred method of contraception.

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I supplemented the data findings by researching policies that have impacted the differences in preferred methods between Texas and California

 

Key Finding: A smaller percentage of Texas students report using their preferred method than California students. However, students in both states experience many barriers to using their preferred contraceptive method.

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