Main Category: Fertility
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 18 Nov 2011 - 9:00 PST
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The percentage of teenage girls in the USA getting pregnant to full term has dropped to a record low in 2010, a new report issued by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), titled "Births: Preliminary Data for 2010," informed this week, as did the birth rate for most females of reproductive age. In 2010 the teenage birth rate rate fell to 34.2 births per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19 years; 9% lower than the year before. 2010 had the lowest rate since records becan seven decades ago.
The authors say their report is based on data gathered on ALL birth records from America's 50 states, the District of Columbia, and US terriroties.
The report also informs that the rate of C-sections (cesarean deliveries) dropped in 2010 for the first time since 1996 to 32.8% of all deliveries.
Below are some more data included in the report: In 2010 there were 4,000,279 births (mothers of all ages), compared to 4,130,665 in 2009. A fall of 3%. Many experts believe that economic recessions have a direct impact on birth rates.In 2010 the overall fertility rate was 64.1 births per 1,000 females (age 15-44 years), compared to 66.2 in 2009; a drop of 3%. This is the third largest fall in the overall fertility rate in the USA.1,633,785 babies were born whose mothers were not married in 2010, compared to 1,693,658 the year before.The birth rate for unmarried mothers was 47.7 per 1,000 in 2010, while a year earlier it was 49.9.Birth rate for younger adult females (early twenties) dropped by 6% in 2010, as they did (to a lesser extent) for women in the in their late twenties and thirties.Birth rates for females in their early forties rose to 10.2 per 1,000 in 2010, compared to just 10 a year earlier. 11.9% of all births were premature in 2010, a 6% fall compared to 2006.The rate at which babies are born with low birth weight dropped slightly, to 8.2% in 2010 from 8.3% in 2006.Experts believe that when couples, especially women, believe they cannot afford to have kids, the country's overall birth rate drops. The overall birth rate for women up to the age of 44 years does appear to have paralleled America's economic climate during the last few years.
Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today
Brady E. Hamilton, Ph.D.; Joyce A. Martin, M.P.H.; Stephanie J. Ventura, M.A.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:
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8 Dec. 2011.
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posted by Justin on 18 Nov 2011 at 10:21 am
Did the research indicate how this change is occuring? Are young girls deciding to abstain from sex, are they using protection more, or are they getting abortions more? just wondering cause any of these could happen due to a bad economy although my guess would be the last one and since contraception isn't always free i would be skeptical of the second one.
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posted by Jeff on 18 Nov 2011 at 11:43 am
Birthrates are down for teens and young women because male teenagers and young adult males only care about video games. My son and his friends in High School never, ever talk about girls let alone socialize with them. 100% video games lead to no pregnancies.
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