Date of Submission

Fall 2015

Academic Programs and Concentrations

Psychology

Project Advisor 1

Amy Winecoff

Abstract/Artist's Statement

Unintended pregnancy is a serious problem that can result in a host of negative consequences for parents and children. A new long-acting reversible contraceptive could increase male contribution to family planning, and thus reduce the high rates of unintended pregnancy seen today. Vasalgel is one such contraceptive that is currently being developed in the United States. The current study used the Health Belief Model (HBM), with additional variables of interpersonal factors and social norms, as a basic framework to investigate men’s attitudes towards and willingness to use Vasalgel. In the context of this study, the HBM suggests that behavior is a function of two factors: the value an individual places on pregnancy avoidance, and the individual’s belief that a specific preventative action – getting Vasalgel – will achieve that goal. Heterosexual men took an online survey in which they learned about Vasalgel and answered questions related to the contraceptive and HBM constructs. Overall, men had positive attitudes towards Vasalgel, and 41% of men had positive intent to use it if the contraceptive became available. Analyses showed that the HBM was able to predict both attitudes towards and intent to use Vasalgel, and that including perceived norms and interpersonal factors significantly improved the model for intent to use Vasalgel but not for attitudes. The results indicate that a new contraceptive would be used by the male population and underscores the utility of theory-based models in health research.

Open Access Agreement

Open Access

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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