At least 15 percent decrease in all but two states; decrease of 30 percent or more in seven states
THURSDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- The rates of teenage births decreased considerably from 2007 to 2011, with the steepest decline noted among Hispanic teenagers, according to a May data brief issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
Brady E. Hamilton, Ph.D., from the NCHS in Hyattsville, Md., and colleagues used data from the National Vital Statistics System to examine recent trends in teenage birth rates by state and race from 2007 to 2011.
The researchers found that for all but two states the teen birth rates decreased at least 15 percent for 2007 to 2011, with rates decreasing by 30 percent or more in seven states. The steepest declines were noted among Hispanic teenagers, averaging 34 percent, with decreases of 24 and 20 percent, respectively, for Hispanic black teenagers and non-Hispanic white teenagers. By 2011, the birth rates for non-Hispanic black and Hispanic teenagers were similar, with dissipation of the long-term difference between the birth rates. In more than 22 states and the District of Columbia, the rates for Hispanic teenagers dropped by 40 percent or more, while the rates decreased at least 30 percent in 37 states and the District of Columbia.
"The recent declines in teen childbearing are sustained, widespread, and broad-based," the authors write. "If teen birth rates by age and race and Hispanic origin of mother had remained at their 1991 levels, an estimated 3.6 million more births to teenagers would have occurred from 1992 through 2011."
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