Teen Birth Rates Rise for First Time in 15 Years

For the first time since 1991, birth rates among teenage girls have risen in the United States, according to the latest national report on the health and welfare of American youth.

Released by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2008 presents statistics on U.S. youth that were collected and compiled by a number of governmental agencies and private organizations.

According to a July 14 article on the ScienceDaily website, the report cited a rate of 22 live births per 1,000 U.S. girls ages 15 to 17 in 2006 (the last year for which statistics are currently available). This rate rose from 21 per 1,000 in 2005, the first such increase in 15 years.

In December 2007, WebMD Health News writer Miranda Hitti wrote that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had also reported birth-rate increases among 18- and 19-year-olds, as well as among women in their 20s, 30s, and early 40s.
Dr. Edward J. Sondik, the director of the National Center for Health Statistics in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was quoted in the Science Daily article as expressing concern about the ramifications of the rate increase among teenagers:

"It is critical that we continue monitoring this trend carefully," Sondik said. "Compared with other teens their age, teen mothers are less likely to finish high school or to graduate from college. Infants born to teen mothers are more likely to be of low birth weight."

The report also noted an increase in the prevalence of low birth weight (which is defined as less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces). According to information posted on the March of Dimes website, children who are born at these low weights are at increased risk for health issues including respiratory distress syndrome, heart and intestinal problems, and bleeding in the brain.