Public Health Nurses and Family Planning

Unintended pregnancy is a health problem that is particularly important in the practice of public health nurses (PHNs). Data from 844 PHNs showed that they were likely to practice in settings that incorporate family planning services and were knowledgeable about specific family planning methods. They favored family planning services and an expanded supportive government role in both family planning and abortion. Since PHNs are an important resource for the community activism required to build the consensus needed to expand these services, a multiple-regression analysis was performed to determine predictors of activism. Political participation was the major predictor for activism on both family planning and abortion.