Developing Culturally Relevant Educational Materials About Emergency Contraception

Abstract

New York City has growing numbers of Mexican and Caribbean born residents, who have been identified as underserved communities for reproductive health care. We conducted exploratory focus groups to develop and test messages about emergency contraception that would be culturally relevant to these communities. Findings reveal lack of knowledge about what emergency contraception is and how it works, concerns about safety, and health care barriers. Multiple messages were tested in Spanish and English, and participants expressed positive attitudes about using emergency contraception once they knew that is was different from an abortion pill.