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Persons using assistive technology might not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, please send e-mail to: [email protected]. Type 508 Accommodation and the title of the report in the subject line of e-mail. State-Specific Birth Rates for Teenagers -- United States, 1990-1996During the late 1980s, birth rates for teenagers in the United States increased sharply. Although rates have declined steadily since 1991 (1,2), age-, race-, ethnicity-, and state-specific rates have varied substantially. Despite recent declines, the U.S. birth rate for teenagers remains high compared with other industrialized countries. In 1996, an estimated 505,514 females aged less than 20 years gave birth; two thirds of births to teenagers are unintended (3). The adverse consequences of teenage childbearing include increased poverty for both mother and child. This report presents state-specific birth rates for females aged 15-19 years for 1991 and 1995 and compares race/ ethnicity-specific birth rates for U.S. females aged less than 20 years for 1990-1996. These findings indicate that, during 1991-1995, birth rates among teenagers declined significantly in all but five states and the District of Columbia, and declines nationwide during 1991-1996 were especially large for teenagers aged 15-17 years and for black teenagers. Recent declines in abortions and abortion rates for teenagers, coupled with the trends described in this report for birth rates for teenagers, indicate that, since 1991, pregnancy rates for teenagers also have declined. Data for 1990-1995 (the most recent year for which state-specific data were available) were derived from the complete file of all births registered in state vital statistics offices (1,4). Data for 1996 were derived from preliminary files containing 94% of births; the preliminary data series was initiated in 1995 (2). Births were reported by mother's state of residence. Population denominators for the birth rates were obtained from the Bureau of the Census (5,6). Race/ethnicity-specific data are presented for Hispanics, non-Hispanic whites, blacks, American Indians/Alaskan Natives, and Asians/Pacific Islanders. Data for non-Hispanic blacks are not presented separately from data for all blacks because both sets of data are virtually identical (97% of births to blacks are to non-Hispanic females). Because preliminary data for 1996 were not available for race/ethnicity cross-classification, the most recent data for non-Hispanic white females were for 1995. The preliminary birth rate for teenagers aged 15-19 years in 1996 was 54.7 births per 1000 females aged 15-19 years, a 4% decline from the rate for 1995 (56.8) (Table_1). From 1986 to 1991, the rate increased 24% (from 50.2 to 62.1) (1); however, from 1991 to 1996, the rate declined 12%. Although rates declined in all subgroups, the percentage decline was greater for teenagers in younger age groups (14% for those aged 10-14 years and 12% for those aged 15-17 years) than for those who were older (8% for those aged 18-19 years). In general, birth rates during 1991-1996 declined for teenagers in all racial/ethnic groups for which 1996 rates could be computed. During this period, the rate for blacks aged 15-17 years declined 23%, compared with a decline of 16% for those aged 18-19 years. From 1991 to 1995 (the most recent year for which data were available), the rate for non-Hispanic whites aged 15-17 years declined 7%, compared with a decline of 6% for those aged 18-19 years. From 1995 to 1996, rates for Hispanics aged 15-19 years declined 5%, even though rates in this group had been stable during 1991-1995. During 1991-1996, rates for American Indians/Alaskan Natives and Asians/ Pacific Islanders aged 15-19 years declined 12% and 7%, respectively. From 1991 to 1995 (the most recent year for which state-specific data were available), state-specific birth rates for teenagers varied substantially (Table_2). * During this period, rates for those aged 15-19 years declined in all states and the District of Columbia, and declined significantly in most (45) states. Statistically significant percentage declines ranged from 3.6% (Texas) to 26.9% (Vermont) (Table_2). Rates declined greater than or equal to 12.0% in 12 states, 10.0%-11.9% in nine states, 8.0%-9.9% in 12 states, and less than 8.0% in 12 states (Figure_1). Reported by: Reproductive Statistics Br, Div of Vital Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics, CDC. Editorial NoteEditorial Note: The findings in this report indicate that, from 1991 to 1996, birth rates for all U.S. teenagers declined; rates declined for all age groups and for all racial/ ethnic groups. Birth rates are used to assess the effectiveness of programs to reduce teenage pregnancy; comprehensive assessment of such trends also requires that data on legal induced abortion and fetal loss be combined with live-birth data to produce teenage pregnancy rates. From 1991 to 1992, the teenage pregnancy rate declined 3% (from 115.0 pregnancies per 1000 females aged 15-19 years to 111.3 per 1000, respectively) (4,7), reflecting declines in both birth and abortion rates for teenagers. More recently, abortion statistics for 1993-1994 indicate a continued decline in abortions and abortion rates for teenagers (8). The declines in both birth and abortion rates for teenagers suggest a sustained decline in teenage pregnancy rates. Teenage childbearing patterns varied substantially by race/ethnicity, possibly reflecting differences in income, education, access to health care, and health-care coverage. Rates historically have been higher for black and Hispanic teenagers than for other groups (1,2,4). Because recent declines in teenage birth rates have been greater for blacks, race-specific differences in rates have narrowed. State-specific variations in birth rates for teenagers especially reflected differences in the racial/ethnic composition of the teenage population. Overall, rates were higher in states with higher proportions of Hispanic and/or black teenagers. For example, rates were higher in states in the South and Southwest with proportionately higher Hispanic and black populations (Table_2). The state-specific data in this report were not adjusted for these compositional differences because the race-/ethnicity-specific data are not available for 1995. Although birth rates for teenagers were substantially higher during the early 1970s than during recent years, most teenagers giving birth during the earlier period were married; most of those giving birth during more recent periods were unmarried (1,2,4). The sustained increases in the percentage of births to unmarried teenagers slowed during the early 1990s. Findings from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth suggest two trends have contributed to the declines in teenage birth (and pregnancy) rates. First, the long-term increase in the proportion of teenaged women who were sexually experienced leveled after having increased during 1982-1990 (from 47% to 55%). In addition, among sexually experienced teenagers who used any method of contraception, condom use increased substantially (3). Recognition of the consequences of teenage pregnancy has prompted initiatives to reduce teenage pregnancy in state and local jurisdictions. Although a variety of programs have been developed to reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancy, only a limited number have been rigorously evaluated (9), and no single approach has been identified. Instead, states and local jurisdictions are being encouraged to consider a wide variety of approaches and strategies for preventing teenage pregnancy. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is coordinating and supporting an intensive multifaceted strategy to reduce teenage pregnancy (10). Basic elements of this strategy include increasing opportunities through welfare reform (e.g., provisions promoting personal responsibility for minor parents, abstinence education, incentives for states that reduce out-of-wedlock childbearing, and strict enforcement of child support laws); supporting approaches tailored to the unique needs of individual communities (e.g., DHHS' Community Coalition Partnership Program for the Prevention of Teen Pregnancy and the Adolescent Family Life Program); building partnerships among concerned citizens from all sectors of society; sharing information about promising and successful approaches in teenage pregnancy-prevention programs; and improving data collection, research, and evaluation. References
Disclaimer All MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from ASCII text into HTML. This conversion may have resulted in character translation or format errors in the HTML version. Users should not rely on this HTML document, but are referred to the electronic PDF version and/or the original MMWR paper copy for the official text, figures, and tables. An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371; telephone: (202) 512-1800. Contact GPO for current prices. **Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to [email protected].Page converted: 09/19/98 |
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