The proposed project investigates a persistent puzzle in understanding couples? contraceptive use behaviors (why typical use failure rates are so high), by combining an innovative dataset (RDSL) with state-of-the-art statistical analysis techniques (sequence analysis, couple-level fixed effects models). The results of this project will contribute to the development of new contraceptive methods that are more likely to be used consistently by couples, thereby increasing effective contraceptive use and reducing unintended pregnancy.
