An Exploratory Quantitative Analysis of Chlamydia Rates and Female Access to Contraceptive Services in the United States, 2015

Purpose: Chlamydia rates have steadily increased over the past two decades in the United States. Access to contraceptives is essential for preventing transmission. This project examined the relationship between female access to contraceptive services at publicly-funded health clinics and chlamydia rates the county level in 2015. This project also examined associations between chlamydia rates and contraceptive access across rural and urban counties and by U.S. region. Methods: Data on chlamydia rates, publicly-funded clinics, and contraceptive clients in 2015 were obtained from open-access databases and published reports by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Guttmacher Institute. Simple linear regression models were used to examine associations between the number of women that obtained contraceptive services at publicly-funded clinics within the 15-44 year-old female population and chlamydia rates. Results: Regression results indicated a positive association between female contraceptive client rates and chlamydia rates in the U.S. (