Teenage pregnancy in the United States

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Teen births (aged 15–19) per 1,000 people by state (2015)

Teenage pregnancy in the United States occurs mostly unintentionally[1] and out of wedlock[2][3] but has been declining almost continuously since the 1990s.[1][4][5] In 2022, it fell to 13.5 per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19, the lowest on record.[6] According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this decline is due to abstinence and the use of contraception.[7][8] However, the averages conceal significant ethnic or geographic differences within the nation.[9] The birth rates for Hispanic and African-American teens were more than double those of European-American teens,[10] while Asian-American adolescents have the lowest pregnancy and birth rates of all.[3] As of 2015, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi had the highest adolescent birth rates in the Union. (See map.)

Despite the decline, the United States still has one of the highest teenage birth rates among industrialized nations.[11]

General facts and statistics

Teen pregnancy is defined as pregnancies in girls under the age of 20, regardless of marital status.[12]

Recent declines

The birth rates among teenagers 15 to 19 in the United States have fallen dramatically since the early 1990s.

According to Child Trends research institute, prevalence of teen birth in the United States has plummeted between the early 1990s and 2020s.[4][5] Teenage birth rates, as opposed to just pregnancies, peaked in 1991, when there were 61.8 births per 1,000 teens.[13] In 2014, 249,078 babies were born to girls 15 to 19 years of age, corresponding to a birth rate of 24.2 per 1,000 girls.[12] As of 2016, three in ten American girls fell pregnant before age 20, corresponding to almost 750,000 pregnancies a year.[14] An overwhelming majority (89%, as of 2016) of teenage births occurred outside of marriage,[15] and 16% of all girls became teen mothers.[16] Researchers from the Guttmacher Institute were able to show that the fall in teenage birthrates is likely not due to terminated pregnancies. The number of abortions remained the same or decreased in all U.S. states except for Vermont.[17]

In 2010, of the majority of pregnancies to adolescent females in the United States, an estimated 60% ended in live birth, 15% ended in miscarriage, and 30% in abortion.[15] The number of hospital stays for teen pregnancies decreased by 47 percent from 2000 to 2012, when there were 104,700 maternal hospital stays for pregnant teens.[18] However, most of the adolescents who give birth are over the age of 18. For example, in 2008, 6.6 pregnancies occurred per 1,000 teens aged 13–14. In other words, fewer than 1% of teens younger than 15 became pregnant in 2008.[19]

Contemporary teenagers are becoming better at avoiding pregnancies by abstinence or by using contraception.[20] A CDC analysis found that the rates of teens using a long-acting and reversible method of contraception, such as an intrauterine device (IUD), jumped from 0.4% in 2005 to 7.1% in 2013.[21] Adolescents are also less likely get married at their age.[22] Nearly 80% of teenage fathers do not marry the teenage mothers of their children.[23]

Attitudes

Most female teens report that they would be very upset (58%) or a little upset (29%) if they got pregnant, while the remaining 13% report that they would be a little or very pleased.[19] Most male teens report that they would be very upset (47%) or a little upset (34%) if they got someone pregnant, while the remaining 18% report that they would be a little or very pleased.[19]

Risk factors

Girls who were cohabiting, poorly educated, drug abusers, alcoholics, and came from low-income or unstable households were at the highest risks of unintentional pregnancies.[24][25][26] Teenage fathers have 10-15% lower annual earnings than teenagers who do not father children.[23] According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than four out of five, or 80%, of teenage pregnancies are unintended.[24]

Intentional pregnancies

According to the Journal of Pediatric Health Care, approximately 15% of all adolescent pregnancies are planned. Based upon interviews conducted with pregnant teenagers, there are particular themes based upon wants and needs. Some of the wants expressed by teens includes, "(a) the desire to be or be perceived as more grown up, with increased responsibility, independence and maturity; (b) a long history of desiring pregnancy and the maternal role; c) never having had anything to call their own and wanting something to care for and love and (d) the pregnancy was the natural next step in their life or their relationship with their boyfriend."[27]

Rates by ethnicity

U.S. teenage birth rates have declined for all racial or ethnic groups from 2016 to 2020. Asian Americans have the lowest rates of all.

Black, Latino, and Native-American youths experience the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and childbirth.[12] For every 1,000 black boys in the United States, 29 of them are teenage fathers, compared to 14 per 1,000 white boys.[19] The rate of teen fatherhood declined 36% between 1991 and 2010, from 25 to 16 per 1,000 males aged 15–19. This decline was more substantial among blacks than among whites (50% vs. 26%) and about half of the rate among teen girls.[19] Studies show that Asians (23 per 1,000) and whites (43 per 1,000) have lower rates of pregnancy before the age of 20.[16][19]

Teen birth rates decline by racial groups [9]

Teen birth rates declined from 2018 to 2019 for several racial groups and for Hispanics.1,2 Among 15- to 19-year-olds, teen birth rates decreased:

  • 5.2% for Hispanic females.
  • 5.8% for non-Hispanic White females.
  • 1.9% for non-Hispanic Black females.

Rates for non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN), non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander teenagers were unchanged.

In 2019, the birth rates for Hispanic teens (25.3) and non-Hispanic Black teens (25.8) were more than two times higher than the rate for non-Hispanic White teens (11.4). The birth rate of American Indian/Alaska Native teens (29.2) was highest among all race/ethnicities.

Rates by region

In 2013, the lowest birth rates were reported in the Northeast, while the highest rates were located in the Southeast.[15]

Birth and abortion rates of girls ages 15–19, 2010 [28]

US State Pregnancy rate (per 1000) Birthrate Abortion rate % Abortion rate excluding stillborns and miscarriages
Alabama 62 32 9 17
Alaska 64 27.8 17 30
Arizona 60 29.9 9 18
Arkansas 73 39.5 9 14
California 59 21.1 19 38
Colorado 50 20.3 10 20
Connecticut 44 11.5 20 52
Delaware 15 20.7 28 47
Washington, D.C.
90 28.4 32 41
Florida 60 22.5 19 38
Georgia 64 28.4 13 24
Hawaii 65 23.1 23 42
Idaho 47 23.2 7 17
Illinois 57 22.8 15 32
Indiana 53 28 7 16
Iowa 44 19.8 9 23
Kansas 53 27.6 5 12
Kentucky 62 35.3 6 12
Louisiana 69 35.8 10 18
Maine 37 16.5 10 31
Maryland 57 17.8 22 45
Massachusetts 37 10.6 14 46
Michigan 52 21.1 14 32
Minnesota 36 15.5 8 25
Mississippi 76 38 9 14
Missouri 54 27.2 9 19
Montana 53 26.4 10 21
Nebraska 43 22.2 5 14
Nevada 68 28.5 20 34
New Hampshire 28 11 8 35
New Jersey 51 13.1 24 55
New Mexico 80 37.8 15 22
New York 63 16.1 32 58
North Carolina 59 25.9 12 24
North Dakota 42 23.9 6 18
Ohio 54 25.1 12 25
Oklahoma 69 38.5 8 13
Oregon 47 19.3 12 29
Pennsylvania 49 13.8 15 35
Rhode Island 44 15.8 16 41
South Carolina 65 28.5 13 23
South Dakota 47 26.2 4 11
Tennessee 62 33 9 18
Texas 73 37.8 9 15
Utah 38 19.4 4 13
Vermont 32 14.2 9 34
Virginia 48 18.4 14 33
Washington 49 19.1 16 37
West Virginia 64 36.6 9 17
Wisconsin 39 18 7 21
Wyoming 56 30.1 8 17

Parenting as a teenager

An anti-teenage pregnancy poster

About 25% of teenage mothers have a second child within 24 months of the first birth.[29]

Parenting as a teenager has detrimental effects on the parents as well as the children. Pregnant teenage girls tend to gain less weight than older mothers, due to the fact that they are still growing and competing for nutrients with the baby during the pregnancy.[30] Teenage parents are considerably more likely to drop out of high school in order to work.[14][31][32] This is because child-rearing is expensive and requires a lot of attention, and the typical teenager is unable to handle the responsibilities of schoolwork, earning a living, and childcare.[32] By turning to parenthood as such an early age, these teenagers often find themselves socially isolated from their peers.[32] Moreover, following the Great Recession of the late 2000s, young people take longer to gain financial independence than their counterparts three decades ago. It is much harder for teenage parents to be able to support a family compared to the past due to the competitive work environment.[22] Children born to teenage parents are more likely to be born prematurely, to do poorly at school, to live in poverty, and to suffer higher rates of abuse.[29] They also tend to repeat the cycle of early childbearing (out of wedlock) and early marriage of their parents.[33] The sons of teen mothers are 13% more likely to end up incarcerated, and the daughters of teenage mothers are 22% more likely to become teenage mothers.[29] More than 25% of teen mothers live in poverty during their 20s.[23]

Supporting teenage parents

"Happy Birthday Sweet 16" / "Pink or Blue, We Love You" cake

Some high schools in the United States offer a program for pregnant and parenting teens to continue their education.[34]

Studies have shown that when teen parents stay in school after being pregnant, they have a better chance of graduating high school.[35] Less than 2% of teen moms earn a college degree by age 30.[14] Many of these programs offer on-campus childcare. Some even require the pregnant and parenting teens to attend parenting classes or practicum classes. The parenting classes offer a place for these young parents to learn about the basic needs of a child. While, the practicum classes offer a hands on experience caring for the children in the childcare center.

Prevention

Preventing Teen Pregnancy graphic by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The United States has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases in developed countries.[36] The two primary reasons given by teenagers for not using protection is that the chance of becoming pregnant is small, and the failure to anticipate intercourse.[37]

The best method of reducing the consequences of teenage parenthood is by providing reproductive health services to prevent teenagers from becoming pregnant in the first place.[22] Prevention can not only be beneficial on a micro level but it is also beneficial on a more macro scale. Nationally, teen pregnancies cost tax payers an average of $9.4 billion each year.[12] These costs are associated with health care, foster care, criminal justice, public assistance and lost tax revenue.[29] Teen pregnancies can be prevented by increasing access and education on the proper use of contraceptives,[24] as well as parental involvement. The best method of prevention is to integrate sex and STD education into the middle and high school science curriculum as well as addressing the effects of teenage pregnancies in the social studies curriculum.

According to studies conducted by the American Journal of Public Health, the pregnancy rate in The United States can be predictable by analyzing two indexes, the contraceptive risk index and the overall pregnancy risk index.[38] Using these indexes with previous adolescent pregnancy data, 77% of the decline in pregnancy risk was attributed to contraceptive use. The conclusion from this studies and others, is that improved contraceptive use and teachings is responsible for the decline.

International comparison

The United States has a high adolescent birth rate relative to other developed nations

There are large differences in adolescent pregnancy rates among developed nations like Canada, France, Great Britain, Sweden and the United States. The United States has the highest number of teen pregnancies and the highest number of sexually transmitted infections compared to the other four countries.[11]

In France and Sweden during the late 1990s, pregnancies were 20 per 1,000 girls at ages 15–19.[11] In Canada and Great Britain the levels were twice that, and the United States the level was 4 times as high with 84 per 1,000 teenage girls pregnant. The likelihood of pregnant teenage girls having abortions across the four countries differ and exclude miscarriages. In the U.S. abortion rates for 15–19 years are 35%, compared to 69% in Sweden, 39% in Great Britain, 46% in Canada, and 51% in France.[11]

Quality of sex education varies across the U.S, with some states offering more comprehensive education than others. 39 states require "some" education related to sexuality. 25 states are required by law to teach sex and HIV education. 17 states only require the teaching of STIs. 20 states require provision of information on contraception, 39 states are required to provide information on abstinence. Eleven states have no requirement.[39]

In popular media

In a 2014 paper, economists Melissa S. Kearney and Phillip B. Levine, both fellows of the Brookings Institution, were able to show that popular TV programs depicting the reality of teenage parenthood, such as MTV's 16 and Pregnant and its sequels (Teen Mom, Teen Mom 2, Teen Mom 3, Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant), have played a significant role in the reduction of teenage childbearing.[40] The girls who watched any one of these shows also reported being able to predict the behaviors and intentions that result in teenage pregnancy.[41]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Cha, Ariana (April 28, 2016). "Teen birthrate hits all-time low, led by 50 percent decline among Hispanics and blacks". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  2. ^ "An Analysis of Out-Of-Wedlock Births in the United States". The Brookings Institution. August 1, 1996. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Patten, Eileen; Livingston, Gretchen (April 29, 2016). "Why is the teen birth rate falling?". Pew Research Center. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Wildsmith, Elizabeth; Welti, Kate; Finocharo, Jane; Ryberg, Renee; Manlove, Jennifer (December 23, 2022). "Teen Births Have Declined by More Than Three Quarters Since 1991 - Child Trends". Child Trends. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
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  6. ^ Kekatos, Mary (June 1, 2023). "Teenage birth rates in the US reached historic lows in 2022, CDC report finds". ABC News. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  7. ^ "Too Much Netflix, Not Enough Chill: Why Young Americans Are Having Less Sex". Politico Magazine. February 8, 2018.
  8. ^ Patten, Eileen; Livingston, Gretchen (April 29, 2016). "Why is the teen birth rate falling?". Pew Research Center. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "About Teen Pregnancy | CDC". www.cdc.gov. November 15, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
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  11. ^ a b c d Darroch, Jacqueline E.; Singh, Susheela; Frost, Jennifer J. (November–December 2001). "Differences in Teenage Pregnancy Rates Among Five Developed Countries: The Roles of Sexual Activity and Contraceptive Use". Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 33 (6): 244–281.
  12. ^ a b c d "About Teen Pregnancy | Teen Pregnancy | Reproductive Health | CDC". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  13. ^ Timothy W. Martin (2011). "Birth Rate Continues to Slide Among Teens". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  14. ^ a b c "11 Facts About Teen Pregnancy | DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change". www.dosomething.org. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  15. ^ a b c "The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services". Office of Adolescent Health. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  16. ^ a b "Policy Brief: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Teen Pregnancy" (PDF). The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. July 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2008. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  17. ^ Cha, Ariana (April 28, 2016). "Teen birthrate hits all-time low, led by 50 percent decline among Hispanics and blacks". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
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  20. ^ Boonstra, Heather. "What Is Behind the Declines in Teen Pregnancy Rates?". Guttmacher Institute. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  21. ^ Patten, Eileen; Livingston, Gretchen (April 29, 2016). "Why is the teen birth rate falling?". Pew Research Center. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
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  23. ^ a b c "Statistics on Teenage Pregnancy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  24. ^ a b c "Unintended Pregnancy Prevention | Unintended Pregnancy | Reproductive Health | CDC". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
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  28. ^ Kost, Kathryn; Henshaw, Stanley (2014), U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions, 2010:National and State Trends by Age, Race and Ethnicity (PDF), retrieved June 8, 2015
  29. ^ a b c d "Teenage Births: Outcomes for Young Parents and Their Children" (PDF). December 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
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  31. ^ Van Pelt, Jennifer (March–April 2012). "Keep Teen Mom's In School- A School Social Work". Social Work Today. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
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  33. ^ Myers, Wendy S. "Babies Having Babies. (Cover Story)." Women In Business 42.4 (1990): 18-20. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.
  34. ^ Martinez, D. (February 7, 2009). "Teen Parenting Program aims to keep young mothers in school". Valley Morning Star. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2016. Saenz said the program, which follows a TEA curriculum, reaches out to girls and boys from middle school to high school who are facing a pregnancy to educate them about the parenting process, resources, federal programs and continuing their education.
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Further reading