Urban, rural variation in fertility-related behaviors for U.S. women

(HealthDay)—There is urban and rural variation in fertility-related behavior among U.S. women, according to a January data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.

Kimberly Daniels, Ph.D., from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Md., and colleagues used data from the National Survey of Family Growth from 2011 to 2015 to examine urban and rural variation in fertility-related behavior.

The researchers found that the average age at first sexual intercourse was younger for women living in rural versus urban areas (16.6 versus 17.4 years). The percentages of women living in urban and rural areas who were currently married, cohabiting, or never married were similar. In rural areas, a higher percentage of women were formerly married. Compared with women in urban areas, a higher percentage of women living in rural areas had at least one birth. Compared with women in urban areas, in rural areas, a higher percentage of women used one of the most effective methods of contraception at last sexual intercourse in the past year.

"This report describes similarities and differences in age at first sexual intercourse, current marital and cohabitation status, number of births, and contraceptive use among women aged 18 to 44 by urban and rural residence at the time of interview," the authors write.