Teen Birth Rate Up
In 2006 the teen birth rate increased for the first time in 14 years, reaching 42 births per 1,000 teens ages 15-19.
Teens who become parents, and the children they bear, are more likely to experience poverty, poor health, abuse and neglect and other adverse effects that impact them throughout their lives. This brief outlines six strategies to help prevent teen pregnancy.
Despite decades of declining birth rates among teens ages 15 to 19, the U.S. still has the highest rate of teen pregnancy among developed countries; non-white teens are disproportionately affected. Common-sense strategies that engage teens, parents and communities in addressing the causes and consequences of teen sexual behavior and risk-taking can help reduce the birth rate. Such strategies also focus on reducing the adverse, lifelong consequences for teen parents and their children,