The rate of teenage pregnancies dropped to a record low of 31.3 births per 1,000 women in 2011, according to the Annual Summary of Vital Statistics published yesterday, Feb. 11, in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Journal of Pediatrics. This is an 8-percent decrease from the 2010 rate. Since 1991, the birth rate among women ages 15-19 has declined by nearly 50 percent.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) attribute the decrease to the strength of pregnancy prevention messages directed towards teens, which result in increased use of contraceptives.
In a state-by-state breakdown, the CDC found that Southern and Southwestern states had teen birth rates above the national average, with New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma rates exceeding 50 teen births per 1,000 women in 2010. Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut had the lowest teen birth rates in 2010, less than 20 per 1,000 women.
According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, only half of teen mothers earn a high school diploma by age 22; nearly 70 percent of teen moms who move out on their own live in poverty and 63 percent receive some type of public assistance. Children born to teens score significantly lower than their peers on school readiness tests.
While significant gains have been made in reducing teen pregnancies, nearly a third of girls in the United States get pregnant before the age of 20. The 12th annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, sponsored by the National Campaign, is scheduled for May 1, 2013. The event is designed to draw teens’ attention to the importance of preventing early pregnancy and parenthood.
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