California’s birth rate among adolescents has continued to decline to record-low levels, with Lake County's rates also showing another reduction, according to a new report from the California Department of Public Health.
The state’s 2014 numbers indicate a record low of 20.8 births per 1,000 females between the ages of 15 and 19. Those numbers reflect a 10 percent decline from 2013 and a 55 percent decline from the 2000 rate of 46.7, the agency reported.
"California’s continued success in reducing births among adolescents is an excellent example of public health at work,” said CDPH Director and State Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “We can have a positive influence on the lives of young people when we empower them with knowledge, tools and resources to make healthy choices.”
In Lake County, the most recent study showed the teen birth rate was at 34.3 per 1,000, with a repeat birth rate of 16.7 per 1,000, according to state data.
While significantly higher than the state average, Lake County's rates have shown marked improvement over the past several years, based on CDPH studies, and the new rate reported this week appears to be the lowest in more than a decade.
Past years' studies showed that in 2013, the birth rate was 35.5 per 1,000, compared to 38.8 in 2012, 42.1 in 2011 and 43.4 in 2010. Additional data going back to 2005 showed the lowest rate was 37.5.
Across California, the birth rate among adolescents decreased among all racial and ethnic groups between 2000 and 2014. During this time, the birth rate dropped from 77.3 to 31.3 (births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19) among Hispanics, 59.1 to 24.6 among African Americans, 22.3 to 8.4 among Whites and 15.0 to 3.7 among Asians, according to the report.
Despite these declining birth rates, racial disparities persist in adolescent childbearing in California, the numbers showed.
African American and Hispanic adolescents are three to four times as likely to give birth as white females. In addition, officials reported that the birth rate among adolescents varies considerably across counties, from a low of 7.0 in Marin County to a high of 45.1 in Kern County.
California has a number of programs aimed at preventing adolescent pregnancy and improving pregnancy outcomes among young women.
CDPH funds the Information and Education Program, the Personal Responsibility Education Program authorized through the Affordable Care Act of 2010, and the Adolescent Family Life Program for expectant and parenting adolescents.
In addition, the state provides no-cost family planning services to eligible men and women, including adolescents, through the Family PACT Program.
State health officials report record-low birth rates among adolescents
- Lake County News reports
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