Family Planning Needs and Behavior of Mexican American Women: A Study of Health Care Professionals and Their Clientele

A random sample of Mexican American women and a sample of family planning health care professionals, both from two major southwestern cities in the United States, were compared in terms of their reports of birth control methods used, problems in obtaining family planning services, and values involved in making fertility-related decisions, within the Mexican American population. This comparison was made in order to assess the accuracy of family planning professionals' perceptions of the practices and needs of Mexican American women, a high fertility group. While there were points of agreement between the two samples, discrepancies were found in reports of problems in obtaining family planining services, fertility-related values, and in the acceptability of female sterilization as a birth control method. It was concluded that family planning professionals in these service areas tend to stereotype Mexican American women, and may not yet realize that the family planning attitudes and behavior of these women are probably changing in significant ways.