ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH

Executive Summary Trends in Teenage Pregnancy & Childbearing Methodology Estimates of Federal Expenditures Estimates of Federal Investments Conclusion & Recommendations Endnotes Appendix A: Percent Change in Teen Birth Rate Appendix B: Expenditures & Investments Cost Formulas Appendix C: Key Differences Between AFDC & TANF Order Information

Teenage Pregnancy, The Case for Prevention [PDF]

Trends in Teenage Pregnancy and Childbearing

Teen Birth Rates Decline

Following sharp increases in the late 1980's, teen birth rates in the United States have declined significantly from 1991 through 1997. In 1997, the overall teen birth rate was 52.9 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to19 and was 15 percent lower than in 1991. Moreover, the most dramatic decline—21 percent from 1991 to 1996—was in the birth rate among young women who already had one child.¹²

Research indicates that this trend in declining birth rates may be part of a larger trend among all U.S. teens, rather than one limited to a specific geographic region or to a specific age or racial/ethnic subgroup of teens.¹²

The teen birth rate declined in every state in the United States.

The decline in the birth rate was statistically significant in all but three states (Delaware, North Dakota, and Rhode Island).¹²

State birth rates varied considerably among females ages 15 to 19. In 1996, the District of Columbia had the highest teen birth rate—102 births per 1,000 females. Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas had teen birth rates above 70 per 1,000. In contrast, several states—Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Vermont—had teen birth rates at or below 32 births per 1,000.¹² [Appendix A provides a state-by-state ranking of the percentage change in states' teen birth rates between 1991 and 1996.]

The teen birth rate declined for all age groups.

The birth rate for teens ages 10 to 14 declined from 1.4 per 1,000 in 1991 to 1.2 per 1,000 in 1997, a 14 percent decrease. The number of births to teens in this age group dropped from over 12,000 in 1991 to less than 11,000 in 1997.¹²

The birth rate for teens ages 15 to 17 declined 16 percent from 38.7 per 1,000 in 1991 to 32.6 per 1,000 in 1997. Most of this decline occurred between 1995 and 1997. The number of births to teens ages 15 to 17 totaled 183,324 in 1997, down from 188,226 in 1991.¹²

The birth rate for teens ages 18 to 19 declined 11 percent from 94.4 per 1,000 in 1991 to 84.4 per 1,000 in 1997. The number of births to teens ages 18 to 19 also dropped during the same time period from 331,351 to 305,886.¹²

The birth rate declined for teens in all racial/ethnic groups.

Birth rates dropped sharply—by 23 percent—among African American teens between 1991 and 1997. The birth rate for Hispanic teens declined nine percent since 1991. The birth rate for white, Native American, and Asian/Pacific Islander teens declined by 16, 16, and 10 percent, respectively, since 1991.¹²

Birth rates for African American and Hispanic teens continue to be substantially higher than those for non-Hispanic white teens. The birth rate for white teens fell to 37.6 per 1,000 women ages 15 to 19. By comparison, the African American teen birth rate fell to 91.4 per 1,000 and the Hispanic, to 101.8 per 1,000.¹²

Nevertheless, because there are so many more white than African American or Hispanic teens, whites gave birth to more infants than did their African American and Hispanic peers (338,272; 128,539; and 118,122, respectively).¹³

Teen Abortion and Pregnancy Rates Decline

The teen abortion rate in the United States declined significantly from 1991 through 1995—by 21 percent.¹⁵ In the 1990's, an increasing proportion of teens chose to give birth rather than to terminate their pregnancies—possibly the result of changes in societal norms, teens' personal preferences, and/or teens' reduced ability to obtain abortion services.¹⁵

After rising for several decades, teen pregnancy rates^† declined after 1991. From 1991 to 1995, teen pregnancy rates for females ages 15 to 19 declined 13 percent. The declining pregnancy rate reflects the declines in both teen abortion and teen birth rates. Another way to say this is that the decrease in the teen birth rate has been driven by declining pregnancy rates rather than by increasing abortion rates.¹⁶

Increasing Contraceptive Use and Declining Sexual Activity Rates Key to Declining Teen Birth and Pregnancy Rates

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) attributes recent declines in teen birth and pregnancy rates to a leveling off of sexual experience and activity and to increased condom use among sexually active youth.¹

Experts attribute 80 percent of the decline in overall teenage pregnancy rates to improved use of highly effective, long acting contraceptives by sexually active teenagers.¹⁷ More teen females, especially African Americans, are using injectable contraception (Depo-Provera) and contraceptive implants (Norplant) that were unavailable in the United States before 1992.¹⁸ Additionally, teens' use of these newer, highly effective methods has been accompanied by increased condom use at most recent intercourse among both female and male sexually active adolescents. Among sexually active teens in 1995, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of males and over one-third (36 percent) of females reported using a condom at most recent intercourse.¹⁸

The percentage of teenage females who used a method of contraception at first voluntary sexual intercourse increased from 65 percent in 1988 to 76 percent in 1995, largely due to increased condom use.¹⁴ Condom use at first intercourse is an important measure of teens' ability to behave responsibly and plan as they initiate sexual activity.¹⁸

According to three separate national surveys conducted in the 1990's, the proportion of sexually experienced teens stabilized and then fell slightly, reversing the steady increases of the preceding decades.^19,20,21 About 20 percent of the decline in the overall teen pregnancy rate is attributable to this increased abstinence.¹⁶ In fact, research shows that declining rates of sexual risk behaviors, increased abstinence, and increased use of effective methods of contraception can be attributed to the following strategies:

• Accurate sexuality education that includes information on both abstinence and contraception
• Youth development programs
• Access to confidential, low-cost contraceptive services.

Sexuality Education

Research indicates that balanced, realistic sexuality education—which includes information on both abstinence and contraception—can delay teens' onset of sexual activity, can increase the use of contraception by sexually active teens, and may reduce the number of their sexual partners.⁵ Moreover, an overwhelming majority of Americans support providing sexuality education in junior and senior high schools. In particular, most Americans want students to have information to protect themselves against unplanned pregnancy and STDs and oppose the portion of the federal law that funds abstinence-only-until-marriage education.⁶

Youth Development

Research shows that youth development programs can reduce sexual risk behaviors and teenage pregnancy.⁷ These programs are comprehensive and multifaceted. They build on the assets and strengths of young people and assist youth to define goals, complete school, and plan their futures. Youth development seldom tackles isolated problems—such as sexual risk behaviors—but focuses instead on providing holistic support and opportunities for young people. Youth development is a strategy that attempts to meet the needs young people themselves identify: to have life skills, to be cared for and safe, to be valued and useful, and to be spiritually grounded. It meets these needs by building on young people's capacities, assisting them to cultivate their own talents and to increase their feelings of self-worth, and easing their transition to adulthood.⁸

Access to Contraception

Making contraceptives available to youth also reduces adolescents' sexual risk behaviors. Confidential and low-cost contraceptive services ensure that sexually active teens have what they need to protect themselves and their partners from the risk of infection with HIV, STDs, and unintended pregnancy. Research demonstrates that teenage women would experience an estimated 385,800 additional unintended pregnancies annually if publicly subsidized contraceptive services were not available. Therefore, publicly funded contraceptive services annually avert about 154,700 births, 183,300 abortions, and 47,800 miscarriages or spontaneous abortions among teens.⁹

Figure 1. U.S. Teen Pregnancy, Birth, and Abortion Rates^‡ per 1,000 Women Ages 15 to 19: 1990-1996^12,14,22

______________________________
† The National Center for Health Statistics calculates pregnancy by combining data on live births with data on abortions. Data on abortions are not as current as data on births, and the most recent, complete estimates on abortion, and therefore pregnancy, are available only through 1995.¹⁴ By comparison, the most recent data on teen birth rates is from 1997.

‡ For 1996, the teen pregnancy and abortion rates are calculated based on data from 44 states and New York City. The abortion rate is calculated as the number of legal abortions obtained by women ages 15 to 19 per 1,000 women of this age group for the 44 states and New York City.

Source/Citation:
Feijoo AN. Teenage Pregnancy, the Case for Prevention: An Updated Analysis of Recent Trends & Federal Expenditures Associated with Teenage Pregnancy. Washington, DC: Advocates for Youth, 1999.

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