Assessing Delaware Parents’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Preferences About Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives for Teens Using Participatory Action Research

To decrease barriers to long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) for teens, this study aimed to reveal knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs that parents have about LARC. METHODS: A participatory action research approach was used. We recruited a diverse group of community researchers who participated in all phases of our study. Four focus groups were recruited using snowball sampling. Two researchers used a values coding process to code data independently. The team met to identify emerging themes. RESULTS: The 46 parents were predominately female and ethnically diverse. Preventing teen pregnancy was salient although a double standard between parents of boys and girls became apparent. A key theme that emerged was the importance of prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). There were some reservations about LARC provision in school-based health centers. Another theme was the need for access to confidential birth control for other teens but not for their own teens. Lastly, the advantages of LARC mentioned were effectiveness and ease of use. The disadvantages were increased STIs, risky behavior, hormonal changes, and side effects. CONCLUSION: Most of the parents in our study had limited knowledge of LARC. They were aware of its benefits but were uneasy about actual and perceived side effects.