Public Health Fact Sheet

Teen Pregnancy

How widespread is teen pregnancy?

In 2005, one in 36 of Washington State’s teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 17 became pregnant; one in 67 had a baby (1,966 births).  Of those giving birth, 16 percent had a prior pregnancy.  This age group was chosen because:  1) they are of school age; 2) pregnancy to teens younger than age 15 is a rare event; and, 3) the 15-17 year old group is at the highest risk for poor birth outcomes.

The rate of pregnancy* among 15–17 year-olds in Washington has declined steadily from 59.0/ per 1,000 females ages 15-17 in 1989 to 27.6/1,000 in 2005, which is the lowest rate in over 20 years.

Washington’s abortion rate for 15–17 year-olds steadily decreased from 30/1,000 in 1989 to 12.5/1,000 in 2005.

Washington’s birth rate for 15 – 17 year-olds in 2005, was 14.9/1,000, the lowest rate since 1980.  This compares to a national teen birth rate for 2005 of 21.4.

Who is at high risk for teen pregnancy?

Early sexual behavior among teens may be influenced by many complex factors such as poor quality family relationships, non-voluntary sexual experiences, poverty, lack of supportive adult role models, and negative outlook on the future.  These influences may also interact with other factors such as substance use, risky sexual behaviors (e.g., multiple partners, poor contraceptive use), and low academic achievement.

While there are no statewide, Washington data on sexual activity in youth; national data for 2005 indicate that about 47% of high schoolers have ever had sexual intercourse (36% female and 48% males).  Approximately 6% of youth surveyed had sexual intercourse before age 13 (4% females and 9% males).

What are the public health implications of teen pregnancy?

Early prenatal care is vital for detecting pregnancy risks and assuring healthy birth outcomes.  In Washington State in 2005, girls ages 15-17 giving birth received late or no prenatal care almost three times more often than women 20 years and older.

Infants born to teen mothers are one and a third times more likely to be born prematurely, and 50 percent more likely to be low birth weight babies (under 5.5 pounds).  Low birth weight and prematurity raise the probability of a number of adverse conditions, including infant death, blindness, deafness, mental retardation and cerebral palsy.

What are the societal implications of teen pregnancy?

Children born to single teenage mothers "are more likely to drop out of school, to give birth out of wedlock, to divorce or separate, and to become dependent on welfare, compared to children with older parents."  Sons of adolescent mothers are almost three times more likely to be incarcerated than sons of mothers who delay childbearing until older.

In addition to its personal impact on the lives of women and children, teen pregnancy results in tremendous public cost.  In 2004, public cost related to teenage childbearing in Washington State totaled $115 million, which includes AFDC, Medicaid, and food stamps.

What activities are currently being undertaken to reduce teen pregnancy?

DOH continues to fund and evaluate Teen Pregnancy Prevention projects statewide.  Currently, three sites in five different counties are implementing projects that target youth in high risk situations.  These projects utilize a positive youth development approach to pregnancy prevention and include a family planning component for sexually active youth.

DOH also implements and evaluates community-based media literacy projects throughout the state.  The goal is to reduce teen pregnancies by delaying initiation of early and unsafe sexual activity and by raising youth awareness around media (mis)representation of human sexuality.  The project sites use an abstinence-focused, peer-to-peer media literacy curriculum that enables youth to deconstruct media messages related to sexual behavior.

DOH has developed an abstinence-focused statewide public awareness campaign targeting youth ages 10-14 and parents of young teens.  The campaign’s goal is to reduce the number of unintended teen pregnancies through media messages that communicate the importance of healthy relationships, model good decision-making skills, and encourage effective parent-teen communication.  The public awareness campaign was initially launched in spring 2005 and evaluated to determine effectiveness.  The next phase of this campaign was launched in January 2006.

Upon legislative request in 2004, DOH collaborated with OSPI to create Guidelines for Sexual Health Information and Disease Prevention.  The voluntary Guidelines, released in January 2005, provide a framework for medically and scientifically accurate sex education for Washington youth.  DOH and OSPI strongly encourage all school districts, community-based organizations, juvenile detention centers, and tribal health programs vested in adolescent health to participate in the distribution of the guidelines.

The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program is funded by the federal Maternal and Child Health Block Grant ($278,000) and the Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Grant ($814,663).

For more information, contact Marla Russo, Department of Health, Community and Family Health, Maternal-Child Health Program, at (360) 236-3515.

** Number of pregnancies per 1,000, female population in the 15-17 age group.  Includes live births, late pregnancy losses >20 weeks gestation, and abortions.

Facts from this fact sheet taken from:  Adolescent Sex, Contraception and Childbearing:  A Review of Recent Research, Child Trends, Inc’s By the Numbers:  The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing, National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy; Single Mothers and Their Children, The Urban Institute, Adolescent Motherhood:  Implications for the Juvenile Justice System, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevent, Childhood Abuse, How Does It Affect Adult Personality and Behavior, NOAPPP Network, The Health of Washington State Adolescent Pregnancy and Childbearing Chapter; Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.

Documents posted in .pdf version on the Department of Health Web site will be made available in an alternative format on request to users who are unable to download or view .pdf files on the Web.  To request an alternative format, contact:  cahcp@doh.wa.gov.