Feelings versus actions : comparing pregnancy intendedness and pregnancy planning in South Carolina, 2004-2007

Abstract

While the concept of pregnancy intendedness conveys preconception feelings and attitudes about becoming pregnant, pregnancy planning refers to a woman's behaviors and actions before she became pregnant. That is, pregnancy planning reflects the presence or absence of actions to prevent or avoid pregnancy. Since behaviors and actions are more concrete than feelings and attitudes, ascertaining a measure of pregnancy planning retrospectively may be less prone to recall bias and confusion with other concepts. Analyzing pregnancy planning also allow for the study of pregnancies that seem to be neither planned nor unplanned, a group that has been largely overlooked.