By the Numbers: 1 July 2019
10.1%
The percentage of "junior enlisted women" in the U.S. Army who had a baby in 2017, according to a recent story at Military.com -- Birth Control Policies at Boot Camp Affect Military Readiness, Study Finds. This is the highest percentage among the four Service branches; for the Air Force, it was 5.1%; for the Navy, it was 6.1%; and for the Marine Corps, it was 9.7%.
The story was reporting on a study recently published in the journal Contraception -- Contraceptive use and childbirth rates by service branch during the first 24 months on active duty in the United States military from 2013 to 2018: a retrospective cohort analysis -- which concluded:
Variation in branch-specific contraceptive education and access policy during basic training is associated with differences in rates of contraceptive use at 6 months on active duty and childbirth prior to 24 months on active duty. This occurs despite all recruits having access to an identical medical benefit including no-cost access to contraception after completing initial training. Further study is needed to determine the etiology of these differences.
10.1%
The percentage of "junior enlisted women" in the U.S. Army who had a baby in 2017, according to a recent story at Military.com -- Birth Control Policies at Boot Camp Affect Military Readiness, Study Finds. This is the highest percentage among the four Service branches; for the Air Force, it was 5.1%; for the Navy, it was 6.1%; and for the Marine Corps, it was 9.7%.
The story was reporting on a study recently published in the journal Contraception -- Contraceptive use and childbirth rates by service branch during the first 24 months on active duty in the United States military from 2013 to 2018: a retrospective cohort analysis -- which concluded:
Variation in branch-specific contraceptive education and access policy during basic training is associated with differences in rates of contraceptive use at 6 months on active duty and childbirth prior to 24 months on active duty. This occurs despite all recruits having access to an identical medical benefit including no-cost access to contraception after completing initial training. Further study is needed to determine the etiology of these differences.