A significant decline in teen birth rate and in births to girls between 10 and 14 years of age, has been registered in the United States during the last decade in all ethnic groups, according to a report released today by the CDC (the Center for Disease Control and Prevention).
The birth rate in the group of girls between 10 and 14 years reached “the lowest record between 2015 and 2016, with 0.2 births per 1,000 girls, compared to 0.9 in 2000,” the federal agency reported.
Motherhood at a very young age is a matter of public concern because it increases the health risks for mothers and their children, as well as it can have negative socioeconomic consequences, according to the CDC.
The CDC revealed that in 2016, the number of births in the age group of women between 10 and 14 dropped to 2,253, representing a “historical record” and a considerable reduction compared to the year 2000 when the figure was 8,519 births.
The decline in birth to girls between 10 and 14 years was registered in all ethnic groups
The CDC also reported a decrease in the teen birth rate among the teenagers between 15 and 19 years of age.
According to the researchers, although it is difficult to know the exact causes of this reduction, usually the most predominant factors are the postponing of the beginning of sexual life and, among those that are sexually active, a more widespread use of contraceptive methods.
The downward trend was felt in all ethnic groups, although the African-American women experienced the greatest decrease in this regard between 2000 and 2016, decreasing from 2.4 births per 1,000, in 2000, to 0,5 in 2016.
According to the CDC, during the period between 2000 and 2016, the birth rate among Hispanic minors decreased from 1.7 to 0.4 per 1,000, while among Caucasian women of between 10 and 14 years of age the decrease was from 0.3 to 0.1.
The report found that between 2014 and 2016, the states with the highest teen birth rate and births to girls between 10 and 14 years of age were Delaware, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
