Welcome to Pregnancy Guide
Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rate Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
You may also listen to this article by using the following controls.
Teenage Pregnancy Rates in the US
from:Roughly 40% of females in the United States become pregnant before they reach 20 years of age. Half of these pregnant teens give birth each year, while around 45% have abortions. 18-19 year old women have the highest birth rate among adolescents; in 1996, for instance, the birth rate for 18-19 year olds was 86.5 births per 1000 women, while the birth rate for 15-17 year olds was 38.7 per 1000 women. Fortunately, only a few births were registered for teens under 15 years of age (1.2 per 1000).
Teenage pregnancy rates seem to vary across racial lines in the United States, though this is most likely due to the socio-economic status in which many minorities unfortunately find themselves. Black teenagers were at the greatest risk for pregnancy in 1991, but between 1991 and 1996, the birth rate for teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 in this group decreased by 21%, a greater percentage than for any other group. However, there is a disparity between birth rates for white teens and that of minorities. In 1996, the birth rate for Black teenagers between 15 and 19 years old was 91.7 births per 1000, compared to 50.1 births per 1000 for white teens. In 1996, the highest rate of teen pregnancy, 105.5 per 1000, was registered among Hispanic teenagers aged 15-19.
In 2002, teenage pregnancy rates hit their lowest mark in 30 years, down 30% since their peak in 1990. It seems that increased abstinence, but also increased exposure to information about contraceptives, contributed to this decrease. Indeed, the teenage pregnancy rates among girls who did have intercourse dropped 28% between 1990 and 2002. The teenage birth rate in 2002 was 30% lower than the peak rate of 1991.
Even though the birth rates for all groups and across all states in the United States have been decreasing over the past several decades, teenage pregnancy rates in this country are still substantially higher than in most other industrialized countries. Teen birth rate in the US is twice that of the United Kingdom, the country with the highest teenage birth rate in Europe; it is more than four times that of Spain and Sweden; it is seven times that of Denmark and the Netherlands; and it is 15 times greater than the birth rate in Japan.
Studies have shown that teenage sexual activity in these countries with lower teenage pregnancy rates is not significantly different than it is in the US. As usual, according to researchers, the problem is twofold. How the US treats teenage sexuality and the lack of dialogue concerning all thoughts and behaviors relating to sex is failing to deal with the issue of teenage pregnancy, as is the extent of adolescents (and their families) living in poverty and therefore being denied access to education and proper health care.
Warning: file(http://www.searchfeed.com/rd/feed/TextFeed.jsp?trackID=Q3835304521&pID=62408&cat=highest+teenage+pregnancy+rate&nl=5&page=1&excID=) [function.file]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found
in /home/cwatchco/public_html/preparents/teenage/datas/searchfeed.php on line 8
Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rate Specific links
Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rate News
Teenage pregnancy: High US rates due to poverty, not promiscuity
Teenage pregnancy rates in the US have declined dramatically – 40 percent in two decades – but remain among the highest in the developed world. A new study suggests American teens don't have more sex than teens elsewhere, but that they suffer more "despair" due to poverty.
Read more...Alexandria finds money for pregnancy prevention program that state lawmakers cut
The General Assembly left town last week without restoring funds for a pregnancy prevention program for teens. But Alexandria managed to scrape together enough money to replenish its coffers. The City Council approved spending $65,000 on the initiative that offers sex education and birth control to teenagers. Read full article >>
Read more...State's teen-pregnancy rate still too high
Although there is some good news in recent reports that teenage birth rates are declining nationwide, there is still much work to be done, particularly in Oklahoma. According to a report released last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Oklahoma has the fifth-highest teen birth rate in the nation.
Read more...Norfolk teenage pregnancy rate hits 12 year low, but three districts are above the national average
Contraceptive advice from health visitors has helped cut the rate of teenage pregnancies in Norfolk to its lowest level for 12 years, Norfolk County Council has said.
Read more...Lowering teen pregnancy rate
A recent study says Holyoke has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Massachusetts, so the city has teamed up with the National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Campaign and local organizations to educate their students.
Read more...Teenage Girls Using Contraception More Often, U.S. Study Shows
Fewer teenage girls have sex, and more of those that do are using effective contraception, said U.S. researchers who are urging medical professionals and schools to provide more counseling.
Read more...Wellesley Economist Finds Income Inequality Drives Teen Birth Rate
For the first time, researchers say they have now found a connection between income inequality and the teen birth rate. Despite declining in recent years, it is still the highest among developed countries.
Read more...