User:Porshainielsen/Teenage pregnancy in the United States

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Teenage pregnancy in the United States refers to females under the age of 20 who become pregnant. 89% of these births take place out-of-wedlock. Since the 2010s, teen pregnancy rates have declined almost continuously but The United States has one of the highest teenage birth rates among the industrialized nations. According to the Centers for Disease Control, evidence suggests that the decline in teenage pregnancy is due to abstinence teaching and the use of birth control. Although the decline is considered good news, the racial/ethnic and geographic disparities continue in The United States.

Increased pregnancy risk factors in teenagers
There are certain factors in a adolescent/teenagers life that make them more pre-disposed to getting pregnant young. Some of which include race, (see below) but also factors such as sexuality, homelessness, foster care, living in rural areas, exposure to drugs and violence can effect whether a teenager gets pregnant young.

The more risks compiled suggests that a adolescent that exhibits any of the risk listed, is at a higher risk for the other factors. This can include the use of alcohol or drugs. This is consistent with the Jessor Problem Behavior Theory.

Ethnicity updates to section: deleted previous info

Teen birth rates decline by racial groups

Teen birth rates declined from 2018 to 2019 for several racial groups and for Hispanics.1,2 Among 15- to 19-year-olds, teen birth rates decreased:


 * 5.2% for Hispanic females.
 * 5.8% for non-Hispanic White females.
 * 1.9% for non-Hispanic Black females.

Rates for non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN), non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander teenagers were unchanged.

In 2019, the birth rates for Hispanic teens (25.3) and non-Hispanic Black teens (25.8) were more than two times higher than the rate for non-Hispanic White teens (11.4). The birth rate of American Indian/Alaska Native teens (29.2) was highest among all race/ethnicities.

Prevention: The Contribution of Abstinence and Contraceptive Use

According to studies conducted by the American Journal of Public Health, the pregnancy rate in The United States can be predictable by analyzing two indexes, the contraceptive risk index and the overall pregnancy risk index. Using these indexes with previous adolecsent pregnancy data, 77% of the delcine in pregnancy risk was attributed to contraceptive use. The conclusion from this studies and others, is that improved contraceptive use and teachings is responsible for the decline.