Teen Births Down in U.S., but Higher than Elsewhere

While teen births fell 37% between 1991 and 2009, the CDC reports that U.S. rates are higher than those in Canada and most European and Scandinavian countries.

Wanda Barfield, MD, MPH, director of the CDC's center for chronic disease prevention and health promotion, said sex education and communication with parents and healthcare providers falls short in the U.S.

Yet rates of contraceptive use differed among various racial and ethnic groups, being lowest among blacks and Hispanics, the researchers said. That went hand-in-hand with higher teen pregnancy rates for these groups:

* 59 per 1,000 black females
* 70.1 per 1,000 Hispanic females
* 25.6 per 1,000 for white females

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The CDC's data on sex education, communication with parents, use of long-acting reversible contraceptives, and receipt of reproductive health services among teens ages 15 to 19 years were derived from the 2006-2008 National Survey of Family Growth.

1. Mississippi: There were 64.2 births for every 1,000 females 15 to 19 years of age.
2. New Mexico: 63.9 births for every 1,000.
3. Texas: 60.7 births for every 1,000.
4. Oklahoma: 60.1 births for every 1,000.
5. Arkansas: 59.3 births for every 1,000.
6. Louisiana: 52.7 births for every 1,000.
7. Kentucky: 51.3 births for every 1,000.
8. Alabama: 50.7 births for every 1,000.
9th equal Arizona: 50.6 births for every 1,000.
9th equal Tennessee: 50.6 births for every 1,000.
11. West Virginia: 49.8 births for every 1,000.
12. South Carolina: 49.1 births for every 1,000.
13. Georgia: 47.7 births for every 1,000.
14. Nevada: 47.4 births for every 1,000.
15. Wyoming: 45.0 births for every 1,000.
16. North Carolina: 44.9 births for every 1,000.
17. Alaska: 44.5 births for every 1,000.
18. Kansas: 43.8 births for every 1,000.
19. Indiana: 42.5 births for every 1,000.
20. Missouri: 41.6 births for every 1,000.






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