Teen Births, Ages 15-19

Measure

Rate (per 1,000) of births to Hall County teen residents ages 15-19 at the time of the birth.

Why is this indicator important?

Pregnant teenagers and their unborn infants are at risk for health complications as well as financial hardships.  Pregnant teenagers often do not receive the adequate prenatal care needed for a healthy pregnancy; their eating habits tend to be unhealthy; their maternal weight gain is often low; and, their unborn children face the risk of low birth weight--a leading factor in infant mortality.
 
Pregnancy also puts the teenager at risk for health complications. High blood pressure and anemia are frequently seen in teenage pregnancies.  Labor difficulties may also be seen. In pregnant adolescents younger than 15, the health risks are greater.
 
Financially, adolescents are not prepared to take on the responsibility of a child.  The burden is most often left on the adolescent's parents and/or the government.  Most of the families are helped by Medicaid, Food Stamps, and other government assistance programs.
 
Daughters of adolescent mothers are much more likely to become teen mothers themselves.

The goal is to encourage postponement of childbirth until later in life, when parents are physically, emotionally, and financially able to support the raising of a child.

How are we doing in Hall County?

• There were 371 teen births (ages 15-19) in Hall County in 2007.

• The rate of teen births in Hall County has declined since 2001 from 79.2 per 1,000 to 66.9 per 1,000 in 2007.

• The birth rate to Hispanic girls was 110.5 per 1,000 in 2007, compared to 77.9 per 1,000 for black girls and 66.9 per 1,000 for white girls.

• The teen birth rate in Hall County remained fairly constant between 70 and 80 (per 1,000) since 1994 until 2005.  In 2007 the teen birth rate dropped to 66.9 per 1,000.  The Georgia rate for teen births (54.8 in 2007) has been declining steadily since 1994 with a slight upturn in 2007.
  

What does research tell us we can do to improve this indicator?

• Provide accurate, clear and consistent information about how to reduce risk-taking behaviors

• Give young people a credible vision of a positive future

• Offer and improve access to comprehensive reproductive health care and education

• Broaden the scope of existing prevention programs to include young men

• Create community-wide plans of action for teen pregnancy prevention, including adolescent reproductive health services

• Address the underlying causes of teen pregnancy by broadening the scope of pregnancy prevention efforts

• Help parents succeed in their role as sex educators

• Advise parents on how to communicate more effectively with their children