County-Level Clustering and Characteristics of Repeat Versus First Teen Births in the United States, 2015–2017

Abstract

PurposeApproximately 16% of U.S. births to women aged 15–19 years are repeat (second or higher order) births. Repeat teen mothers are at elevated risk for poor perinatal outcomes. Geographic clustering and correlates of repeat teen birth are unknown. MethodsData from birth certificates on N = 629,939 teen births in N = 3,108 U.S. counties in 2015–2017 were merged with data on county-level demographic, socioeconomic, and health provider characteristics. We identified contiguous clusters of counties with significantly elevated rates of first teen births only, repeat teen births, both, or neither between 2015 and 2017 and compared demographic, socioeconomic, and medical provider characteristics of counties between 2010 and 2016 in each cluster type. ResultsA total of 193 counties (6.21%) had high rates of repeat births only; 504 (16.22%) had high rates of first teen birth only; 991 (31.89%) had high rates of both repeat and first teen births; and 1,420 (45.69%) had neither. Counties with high repeat (vs. first only) birth rates had higher rates of poverty and unemployment, higher levels of income inequality, lower high school graduation rates, a higher share of racial and ethnic minority residents, fewer publicly funded family planning clinics per capita, and more women receiving contraceptive services at publicly funded clinics. ConclusionsFirst and repeat teen births cluster in differentially resourced geographic areas. Counties with high repeat teen birth rates have lower socioeconomic conditions than counties with high rates of first teen births only. These counties are more reliant on publicly funded family planning clinics but have fewer of them per capita.