Browsing by Subject "reproductive health"
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Item A Proposal To Establish An Emergency Contraception Vending Machine On The University Of Texas At Austin(2019-05-01) Nemawarkar, Janhavi; Aiken, AbigailIn the spring of 2017, the University of California, Davis unveiled its first “wellness machine” on campus. The vending machine sold Advil, allergy medication, menstrual hygiene products, and emergency contraception. Since the first vending machine of this type was first instituted at Shippensburg University in 2012, several universities across the country have implemented similar machines that sell emergency contraception, and many other universities are either considering or are in the process of launching them. The goal of these vending machines is to expand university students’ access to emergency contraception pills (ECPs), pills that are a method for preventing pregnancy that can be used after unprotected sex (or if there are complications with regular contraception). University students have a particular interest in avoiding unintended pregnancy, so as to not interrupt their educational attainment. To determine whether UT-Austin students would benefit from such a vending machine requires examining the landscape for accessing emergency contraception near campus. In this thesis, I conducted a secret-shopper study of the pharmacies within a three-mile radius of the University of Texas at Austin campus and conducted a survey assessing student attitudes toward a potential vending machine that sells ECPs on campus. Based on my results, I argue that there is a need for such a vending machine. Then, in order to understand the barriers to implementation, as well as the potential solutions to these obstacles, I conducted interviews with administrators in UT-Austin who would potentially be involved with such a vending machine, as well as with experts and administrators in other institutions that have successfully implemented these machines. I end the paper with a plan for how UT-Austin can institute these machines on campus.Item Contraceptive Care for Texas Teens: Access, Advocacy, and Adjudication(2018-12-04) Gessner, McKenna; Aiken, AbigailMy thesis examines the landscape of contraceptive care for adolescents in Texas. While barriers to receiving sexual and reproductive health services have been identified, there is limited research focused on how these barriers manifest at the state level. In my work, I pay special attention to Texas, a state where policies restrict the level of confidentiality guaranteed to minors. This mixed methods project has three distinct elements. The first part of my thesis assesses existing literature on adolescent access barriers to contraceptive services in the United States from the last decade. I synthesize these findings in a systematic review which examines the experiences of both adolescents seeking these services and healthcare providers delivering these services. In this review, I discuss four major types of barriers to obtaining contraception that adolescents must navigate: finances, family, providers, and health systems. The second portion of my thesis involves qualitative data analysis from interviews with key informants in the Austin and Houston areas. These interviews feature the perspectives of those working within the arena of adolescent contraceptive service delivery in Texas. This dataset highlights recent changes in the Texas healthcare system and points to specific state-level challenges that impact the provision of contraception to minors. In the third and final part, the project culminates in an analysis of state policy, with recommendations for how health services might be improved for adolescents in Texas.Item Research + Pizza - Dr. Joseph Potter(2013-02-06) Potter, JosephDr. Joseph Potter, Professor of Sociology and researcher at the university's Population Research Center discussed the impact of reduced state funding for women's health services in Texas. Since the Fall of 2011, Potter has been leading a project to evaluate legislation affecting reproductive health that was enacted during the 2011 Texas Legislative Session.Item Uphill Battle for Reproductive Health in 2020(ORANGE Magazine, 2020-10-13) Bittner, EmmaItem Women’s Experiences Seeking Publicly Funded Family Planning Services in Texas(2015-01-30) Hopkins, Kristine; White, Kari; Linkin, Fran; Hubert, Celia; Grossman, Daniel; Potter, Joseph E.Little is known about low-income women's and teenagers’ experiences accessing publicly funded family planning services, particularly after policy changes are made that affect the cost of and access to such services. Eleven focus groups were conducted with 92 adult women and 15 teenagers in nine Texas metropolitan areas in July–October 2012, a year after legislation that reduced access to subsidized family planning was enacted. Although most women were not aware of the legislative changes, they reported that in the past year, they had had to pay more for previously free or low-cost services, use less effective contraceptive methods or forgo care. They also indicated that accessing affordable family planning services had long been difficult, that applying and qualifying for programs was a challenge and that obtaining family planning care was harder than obtaining pregnancy-related care. As a result of an inadequate reproductive health safety net, women experienced unplanned pregnancies and were unable to access screening services and follow-up care. Teenagers experienced an additional barrier, the need to obtain parental consent. Some women preferred to receive family planning services from specialized providers, while others preferred more comprehensive care. Women in Texas have long faced challenges in obtaining subsidized family planning services. Legislation that reduced access to family planning services for low-income women and teenagers appears to have added to those challenges.