Teen pregnancies hit all-time low in US - Report

Very few US teenagers are indulged in sexual activities, and of those who are involved, most of them are using condoms, according to a new report on the well-being of the American children.

As a result, the teen birth rate has hit a record low, unveiled the latest government report that was compiled by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, a consortium of federal agencies.

To prepare their report, the consortium that includes the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Census Bureau and the Administration for Children and Families used statistics and studies from 22 federal agencies, and looked at 38 key indicators, including infant mortality, academic achievement rates and the number of children living in poverty.

The report, which covers the year 2005, came up with sensational findings, saying teen pregnancies in the United States have hit an all-time low. And, this is all because of the teenagers’ less interest in the sex. It is appreciable that those who are involved in the sexual acts are using condoms and fewer are having sex in general.

"The implications for the population are quite positive in terms of their health and their well-being," said Edward Sondik, director of the National Center for Health Statistics. "The lower figure on teens having sex means the risk of sexually transmitted diseases is lower."

According to the report, in year 2005, 47 percent or 6.7 million high school students reported having had sexual intercourse. And, 63 percent or about 9 million of those who had sex during a three-month period in that same year done it safely by using condoms.

The rate of those who reported having had sex is down from 54 percent in 1991, while the rate of those who used condom during sex is up from 46% in 1991. However, the rate of sexually involved teenagers has not changed since 2003.

Consequently, the teen birth rate came down to all-time low of 21 per 1,000 young women, ages 15-17, in 2005, which is down from 39 births per 1,000 teens in 1991.

"This is very good news," said Sondik. "Young teen mothers and their babies are at a greater risk of both immediate and long-term difficulties."

The report also highlighted that the birth rate in the 15-19 age group was 40 per 1,000 in 2005, which is also significantly down from the previous decade.

The findings also included some other major points related to teenagers, including children health insurance, their education, low birth-weight infants, etc. The report indicated that more young people are finishing high school. In 2005, the figure of young adults who had finished their high school was 88 percent, which is up from 84 percent in 1980.

Likewise, more kids are being read to. As per the report, in 2005, 60 percent of children ages 3-5 were read to daily by a family member, up from 53 percent in 1993. And, the rate of low birth-weight infants, born weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces, jumped to 8.2%, up from 8.1 in 2004.

The rate of children who had at least one parent working full time rose to 78.3 percent, up from 77.6% in 2004, while the percentage of children covered by health insurance tumbled slightly to 89 from 90 in 2004.