New U.S. Report Indicates Rise in Teenage Birth Rates

The number of teenagers giving birth in the United States rose once again last year after 14 years. This information was part of a new government report released Wednesday. This was not the only surprise package in the report. It also noted last year showed the highest rates for unmarried women delivering babies and also for Caesarean deliveries.

This information in the report is part of preliminary birth statistics that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are compiling. The report was compiled after surveyors went through 99 percent of all births registered in 2006. According to the head of the Reproductive Statistics Branch of the CDC, Stephanie Ventura, what was surprising was the finding relating to teenage pregnancies.

Ventura said though there had been a deceleration in the rate of decline as far as teenage pregnancies were concerned, no one was ready for the trend to register an increase. She also said the data was not sufficient to determine if the increase in teenage pregnancies was a definitive trend or an anomaly. As she put it, “It could just be a one-year blip, or the start of a turning point.”

The report does not state the precise cause of the increase in teenage pregnancies, though Ventura felt this increase was probably because not enough was done to reach out to teenagers who were hard-to-reach. She said teenagers today needed more encouragement, adding that the new statistics would be a surprise for those involved in prevention of teenage pregnancies.

According to deputy director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy Bill Albert, any increase in the numbers relating to teenage pregnancy was a serious issue and also a genuine cause for concern. He said it was a difficult problem that needed continuous attention, and that consistently good performance in this area since 1991 had resulted in a reduced focus in this area.

The numbers speak for themselves. There has been a 3 percent increase in pregnancies among girls aged between 15 and 19 years. That number now stands at 41.9 births per 1,000 compared to the 40.5 births per 1,000 in 2005. This is at the end of a 14-year streak that has consistently seen the numbers sliding downwards, from the heights of 61.8 births per 1000 in 1991.

In 2006, black teenagers registered the biggest increase among all, with 5 percent. Coming a close second with 4 percent were the American-Indian teenagers, followed by white teenagers with 3 percent and Hispanic teenagers with 2 percent.

There is some good news though, as far as the rate of pregnancy among girls aged between 10 and 14 years was concerned. The birth rate for this age group has shown a decline in this age group during 2006 as well, standing at 0.6 percent per 1000 compared to the 0.7 percent in 2005. The total number of births itself has also shown a 5 percent slump, standing at 6,045, according to the CDC report.

The birth rate is three times higher in girls aged 18 and 19 compared to teenagers in the age group of 15 to 17. While the birth rate for 18-19 year olds stands at 73 per 1,000, for 15-17 year olds it is only 22 per 1,000. Among 15-17 year olds, the birth rate rose by 3 percent, compared to the 4 percent rise seen among girls in the 18-19 years category.

The report contains other surprising information as well. For instance, there was an 8 percent increase in births to unmarried mothers, standing at 1,641,700 in 2006. Compared to 2002, this is a 20 percent increase. Women in the age group of 25 to 29 years registered the maximum increase, standing at 10 percent.

The birth rate among unmarried women increased to 50.6 per 1,000 in 2006, compared to 47.5 births per 1,000 registered in 2005. This makes it a 7 percent increase in a single year, and a 16 percent increase from the numbers posted in 2002.