Healthy Pregnancy

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Teen pregnancy is a major social and public health problem in the United States. U.S. teens have the highest pregnancy rate in the industrial world and 82 percent of those pregnancies are unplanned. The teen pregnancy rate has declined by one-third over the past decade, largely because of increased contraceptive use, and broad-based public policy efforts are under way to tackle the cultural issues that underlie teen and unplanned

Significance

Teenagers in the United States become pregnant---usually unplanned---at twice the rate of teens in other industrial countries, including England, Canada and Wales. The Guttmacher Institute reports that 750,000 teens ages 15 to 19 become pregnant each year, which is a rate of 75 pregnancies per 1,000 women in this age group. Of all the births in the U.S., 11 percent are to teenagers. While teen pregnancies have been decreasing for several years, births to unmarried, unprepared young women can create long-lasting social and developmental problems for parents and babies.

Features

Young women ages 18 and 19 account for two-thirds of all teen pregnancies. The Guttmacher Institute reports significant differences in race and ethnicity trends in teen pregnancy: Black women have the highest pregnancy rate among teens 15 to 19 years old, with 134 pregnancies per 1,000 women; Hispanic teens’ pregnancy rate is 131 per 1,000; and white teens’ pregnancy rate is 48 per 1,000. Twenty-nine percent of teen pregnancies end in abortion, 14 percent end in miscarriage and 57 percent result in birth.

Effects

Teen pregnancies are tied to poverty, academic failure, child abuse and neglect, crime and other social and health-related problems, according to studies cited by the nonpartisan, nonprofit National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancies. A study by Child Trends found that cognitive test scores were lower among 2-year-olds born from an unplanned pregnancy than among those from planned pregnancies. Since most teen parents are unmarried, their children grow up at risk for additional developmental and emotional problems including facing a higher risk of divorce themselves.

Benefits

The teen pregnancy rate declined by 36 percent between 1990 and 2002, particularly among black women (decreased by 40 percent) and white women (decreased by 34 percent). Much of this decline in pregnancies has been attributed to increased contraceptive use. In 1995, 71 percent of females and 82 percent of males reported using contraception during their most recent intercourse, compared with 83 percent of females and 91 percent of males in 2002. A McKinsey and Co. independent evaluation of the National Campaign found that it is the most respected resource on preventing teen pregnancy. The evaluation also found that entertainment industry executives and policymakers are increasingly aware of the effect they can have on preventing unintended pregnancies.

Prevention / Solution

The biggest risk factors for teen pregnancy are to have intercourse and not to use contraception. The Guttmacher Institute reports that 90 percent of teens who have unprotected intercourse will become pregnant within one year. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancies was formed in 1996 to bring together public health experts, educators, media leaders, youth and policymakers to prevent unwanted pregnancies. The National Campaign’s focus is to support a culture of personal responsibility regarding sexual activity and one’s ability to bear and raise a child; to strengthen responsible policies to increase access to and use of contraceptives; and to increase education to teens and young adults about sexuality, pregnancy, respectful relationships, contraceptives and personal responsibility.

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