We observed the long-term trend of LARC usage before and after the 2016 presidential election.
We observed the rate of LARC dispensed at a university student health center in the 18 months preceding and 27 months. Presidential election, which posed a threat to contraception access. We applied a segmented regression model using two linear regression line segments to evaluate whether there is a time point where the trend of LARC dispensing changed. We fit the regression models with a breakpoint at month 0 and 3 months with a LOESS estimate with parameters obtained by estimating simple linear regression models separately below and above the breakpoint ‘0’.
There were a total of 2067 LARC methods dispensed. The average number of LARC methods distributed was 38/month and increased to 51/month post-presidential election. The LARC dispense rate significantly increased each month until a breakpoint at six months post-election, followed by a slighter decrease.
The study concluded that long-term trends in LARC uptake amidst the public discourse suggested the end of a policy that provided LARC insurance coverage. Although this observational study cannot imply causality, the findings could reflect actions taken to prevent unintended pregnancy in response to the event of uncertain national policy.
Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13625187.2020.1837767
