Teenage Pregnancy Rates are Rising Again

Teenage pregnancy rates have been declining since 1991.  However, from 2005-2006 there were 138,920 teenage girls between 15-17 years old who were pregnant.  This figure rose from 133,138 and was published by Federal Interagency Forum (Child and Family Statistics).

A Grave Concern

This 4% increase in teenage pregnancy rates has caused grave concern among health professionals.  “In this technology-driven world, young teenagers, especially girls, are always looking for ways to connect with others as well as themselves.  One way that they could do that is to have a baby,” says Dr. Keith Ablow, FOX News contributor and psychiatrist.

“We really need very rigorous public health response to counteract this because it’s not pretty.  Ultimately, we will have babies nurtured by mothers who can’t provide them with all the things they need – this might be the long-term consequence,” Ablow added.  Furthermore, he said “That act is really self-centered.  Basically, you’re declaring that it is all about you.  And the people acting this way might be our worst role models.”

Low Birth Weight

The report also showed that low-birth weight is on the rise in the U.S.  You very well know that babies who are born below 5 pounds and 8 ounces have a high risk of health problems and developmental delays.

In 2005, about 21 of 1,000 girls from 15-17 years old became pregnant, but in 2006, there are about 22 out of 1,000.  These teenage pregnancy rates recorded its highest hit in 1991 when it recorded 39 births for every 1,000 teens.

And out of these pregnancies, there are 320,000 babies that were born prematurely.  Therefore, it jeopardizes their survival including their long-term good health.

According to Edward Sondik, National Center for Health Statistics director, “This does not only affect teen health today, but also their well-being for the succeeding 20-40 years, as well as the health of their children.”

Highlights of the Study

Here are the other highlights of the study:

•    38% of births come from unmarried women, and up from 37% in 2005.
•    Low birth weight percentage also increased for the past 2 decades – in 1990, only 7% of infants have low birth weight, while in 2006, it increased to 8.3%.  Sondik said that changing obstetric interventions, maternal birth age, and multiple births all contributed to this trend.

These teenage pregnancy rates were compiled reports from studies and statistics of 22 federal agencies.  It covers 38 key indicators of the well-being of a child including health, infant mortality, academic achievement, and behavior.  It also considered the number of children who are living in poverty.