Factors influencing vasectomy use

Kari白色博士作为一个独立的社会科学家和公共卫生研究人员进行的卫生服务提供模式和政策的影响的研究获得和使用高效避孕的发展，目的是减少意外怀孕的差距。这与国家排雷中心的使命有关，也与该中心对确保男女都能获得安全、有效和可接受的避孕方法的研究表示的兴趣有关。白色博士把她在生育人口学方面的扎实训练和定性和定量研究方法的使用带到避孕药具使用的研究中。她的职业发展计划有三个主要目标：1）从个人角度发展评估卫生服务和政策的方法专业知识; 2）深入了解避孕方法和避孕服务的提供方式; 3）掌握先进的统计技能和熟练程度，使用新的数据源分析政策和健康结果。这些目标将通过正式的课程，赞助商的指导，与专家顾问指导研究，临床观察和会议来实现。她将整合她目前的知识和技能与那些通过职业发展活动获得的个人，供应商和卫生系统层面的因素进行研究，导致输精管结扎术在美国低收入男性中的利用不足。更多地使用输精管切除术有可能减少意外怀孕中基于收入的差异，但对于为什么这种方法在低收入男性中很少使用的研究有限。为了全面审查影响需求和（个人）和供应该研究项目旨在：1）评估不想要更多孩子的低收入男子对输精管结扎术的知识、态度和兴趣; 2）确定公共资助的计划生育组织和保健中心的提供者向低收入男子提供输精管结扎术服务的障碍; 3）评估是否扩大医疗补助计划生育覆盖范围的低收入男性增加输精管结扎术的使用，并确定通过该计划进行输精管结扎术的男性的特征。总之，这个职业发展奖将为白色博士提供结构化的指导，先进的多学科培训和进行原创研究的经验，这将有助于她过渡到一个独立的研究者领导避孕研究。这些研究将使她能够为理解意外怀孕的关键决定因素之一做出重大贡献，并可用于为临床实践和卫生政策提供信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed four-year K01 Population Research Scientist Development Award supports the development of Dr. Kari White as an independent social scientist and public health researcher conducting studies of the impact of health service delivery models and policies on access to and use of highly effective contraception, with the aim of reducing disparities in unintended pregnancy. This is relevant to the NICHD mission and stated interest in research relevant to ensuring that women and men have access to safe, effective and acceptable contraceptive methods. Dr. White brings her solid training in the demography of fertility and use of qualitative and quantitative research methods to the study of contraceptive use. Her career development plan has three main goals: 1) develop expertise in methods to evaluate health services and policy from the individual perspective; 2) gain in-depth knowledge of contraceptive methods and exposure to how contraceptive services are provided; and 3) acquire advanced statistical skills and proficiency working with new data sources to analyze policies and health outcomes. These goals will be met through formal coursework, mentoring from sponsors, directed study with expert advisors, clinical observation, and conferences. She will integrate her current knowledge and skill set with those gained through the career development activities by conducting a study of the individual-, provider- and health systems-level factors contributing to the underutilization of vasectomy among low-income men in the United States. Greater use of vasectomy has the potential to reduce income-based disparities in unintended pregnancy, but there has been limited study of why this method is so little used among low-income men. To comprehensively examine the factors shaping both the demand (individual-level) and supply (provider- and health systems-level) of vasectomy, the research project aims to: 1) assess knowledge, attitudes and interest in vasectomy among low-income men who do not want more children; 2) identify barriers to providing vasectomy services to low-income men among providers at publicly funded family planning organizations and health centers; and 3) evaluate whether expanded Medicaid family planning coverage for low-income men increases vasectomy use and identify the characteristics of men getting vasectomies through the program. In sum, this career development award will provide Dr. White the structured mentoring, advanced multi-disciplinary training, and experience conducting original research that will facilitate her transition to an independent investigator leading studies on contraception. These studies will allow her to make significant contributions to understanding one of the key determinants of unintended pregnancy and that can be used to inform clinical practice and health policy.