Incidence of teen births in the United States taking into account racial disparities

Abstract

Teenage pregnancy has negative social, economic and health consequences for girls, their children, and society, both short and long-term. Although there has been a decrease in early childbearing across the United States (US) since the 1990s, it still remains a significant public health and societal issue as the US has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in the developed world. The objective of our study was to provide a contemporary view of the evolving situation through the calculation of nation-wide and state-level annual teen birth rates, including the period-level percent changes in rate, overall and by race. We carried out a descriptive study of all births to teenage girls age 13-19 years at the state-level (N= 50 states and the District of Columbia) using data on all births in the US from 2007 to 2020 via the National Vital Statistics System. State-level birth rates were calculated by dividing the absolute number of births to teenage girls 13 to 19 years of age in each state for a single year by the total number of teenage girls in the same age range in the same state. Then, weighted period-level changes in birth rates were calculated by state and by race (White, African-American, Hispanic). From 2007 to 2020, the absolute number of births to teenage girls aged 13-19 went from 450,944 to 159,747, which represent a weighted reduction of 64.1%. Teenagers of Hispanic origin had the most significant decline in birth rate with an improvement of 70.4%, followed by White and African-American girls with reductions of 64.4% and 62.1%, respectively. The states with the largest reduction in the teen birth rate include Arizona, California, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Utah. In contrast, the lowest reduction was observed in West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, North Dakota, and Louisiana. The teen birth rate has significantly decreased in all states between 2007 and 2020; however, the degree of change was not equal across all states or racial groups. Sustained efforts are needed to allow for further reductions in teen births.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)