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Liu Z, Lin Z, Cao W, Li R, Liu L, Wu H, Tang K. Identify Key Determinants of Contraceptive Use for Sexually Active Young People: A Hybrid Ensemble of Machine Learning Methods. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 8:968. [PMID: 34828681 PMCID: PMC8622295 DOI: 10.3390/children8110968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Sexually active young people face an increasing public health burden of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases due to improper contraception. However, environmental and social factors related to young people's contraception remain unclear. To identify the key factors, we applied ensemble machine learning methods to the data of 12,280 heterosexual Chinese college students who reported sexual intercourse experience in the National College Student Survey on Sexual and Reproductive Health in 2020 (NCSS-SRH 2020). In the order of variable importance, convenient access to contraceptives, certain attitudes towards sex, sexual health knowledge level, being an only-child, and purchasing a bachelor's or master's degree were positively associated with a high frequency of contraceptive use. In contrast, smoking, free access to contraceptives, a specific attitude towards marriage, and negotiation with a sexual partner were negatively associated with a higher frequency of contraceptive use. Our analysis provides insights into young people's contraceptive use under a typically conservative culture of sexuality. Compared to previous studies, we thoroughly investigated internal and external factors that might impact young people's decision on contraception while having sex. Under a conservative culture of sexuality, the effects of the external factors on young people's contraception may outweigh those of the internal factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zongchao Liu
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Zhongguancun North Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100084, China; (Z.L.); (Z.L.); (H.W.)
- Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Zhi Lin
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Zhongguancun North Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100084, China; (Z.L.); (Z.L.); (H.W.)
- School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Wenzhen Cao
- Shantou University Medical College, No. 22 Xinling Road, Shantou 515041, China;
- School of Public Health, Shantou University, No. 243 Daxue Road, Shantou 515063, China
| | - Rui Li
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA;
| | - Lilong Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China;
| | - Hanbin Wu
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Zhongguancun North Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100084, China; (Z.L.); (Z.L.); (H.W.)
| | - Kun Tang
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Zhongguancun North Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100084, China; (Z.L.); (Z.L.); (H.W.)
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