Intentions and Subintentions: Assessing a New Measure of Pregnancy Intendedness

Helen P. Koo, Research Triangle Institute
Christina I. Fowler, Research Triangle Institute
Ellen K. Wilson, Research Triangle Institute
Tzy-Mey (May) Kuo, Research Triangle Institute

We test a new measure of pregnancy intendedness based on cognitive (perceived chance taking), attitudinal (pregnancy desirability) and behavioral (contraceptive choice and effective use) dimensions. Developed from analysis of qualitative data, the measure suggests that (1) many pregnancies classified as "unintended" are more accurately conceptualized as sub-intended (involving subconscious intent), and (2) the "intended" and "unintended" categories represent end points of a 5-point continuum: fully unintended, quasi-unintended, no-intention, sub-intended, and fully intended. To test this scale, we use data from 1362 women in an unintended pregnancy study - implemented as the Third Follow-Up of the Longitudinal Study of Contraceptive Choice and Use Dynamics - to explore the new measure and compare it with the NSFG measure, including comparison of logistic regression models using the two measures. The panel survey includes socio-demographic, contraceptive and pregnancy histories for women attending public clinics in Atlanta and Charlotte collected in four waves during 1993-2000.