One if Four Teenage Girls has an STD
A new federal study reports that at least one in four teenage girls in the U.S. has a sexually transmitted disease, with the majority being infected with HPV. Among African American girls in the study, nearly half had at least one STD. The CDC recommends increased screening and prevention efforts, including annual screening for all sexually-active women under age 25 and the three-dose HPV vaccine for all girls ages 11-12. The report is a call to action for parents, doctors, and public officials to ensure that teens receive accurate information about their risk for contracting STDs and confidential screening.
Teens and Older Partners
A new study from Child Trends, Older Sexual Partners During Adolescence: Links to Reproductive Health Outcomes in Young Adulthood, finds that teenage girls who have sex with older partners are at greater risk of both acquiring an STD and having a non-marital birth by the time they are young adults, when compared to females with similar-age partners. Among middle and high school students, one in five girls reports having had a sexual relationship with a partner who was three or more years older than them.
In addition, the combination of having sex at a young age with an older partner is linked to an especially high risk of acquiring an STD for girls. Teenage girls who have sex before the age of 16 with a partner who is at least three years older than them are twice as likely as other females to test positive for an STD in young adulthood. When young teen girls have an older sexual partner the unequal power dynamic may lead to more risky sexual behavior. The researchers recommend that adolescents, parents, and program providers be made more aware of the risks associated with girls and older partners.
The US Teen Birth Rate Rises for the First Time in 14 Years: What Does this Mean for Georgia?
After dropping steadily since the early 1990s, the nation’s birth rate for teens ages 15-19 rose 3 percent in 2006, according to a recent report from the National Center for Health Statistics. This represents the first increase in the US teen birth rate in 14 years. The full report can be found on the NCHS website.
Recently released data shows that Georgia also experienced a 3 percent increase in the teen birth rate in 2006. According to the Georgia Division of Public Health, Georgia’s birth rate for 15 to 19 year olds rose from 52.3 births per 1,000 in 2005 to 54.1 births per 1,000 in 2006. The rate increased among both African-Americans and Whites.
Like the national rate, Georgia’s teen birth rate had declined every year for well over a decade until now. While a single year increase does not necessarily mean that our progress has ceased, this recent up-tick is proof that there is no time for complacency in our state when it comes to teen pregnancy.
Georgia Ranks Second in Percentage of Repeat Teen Births
According to a new Child Trends research brief, "Repeat Teen Childbearing: Differences Across States and By Race and Ethnicity", Georgia has the second highest percentage of repeat teen births in the nation. In 2004 in Georgia, 23 percent of births to girls ages 15 to 19 were to teens who had already given birth at least once before. Our state’s repeat teen birth rate actually declined by 21 percent from 1990 to 2004, but we still lead the nation in repeat teen births.
Teen parents and their children face economic and educational challenges that are compounded by repeat births. Despite repeat teen childbearing’s impact on the most disadvantaged teens, the public is largely unaware of the issue. The report cites a recent national telephone survey in which 85 percent of people overestimated, underestimated, or did not know what percentage of teenagers who are giving birth are already mothers.
The report finds that teens who are already parents are an important target group for programs that work to prevent teen childbearing. Factors such as using contraceptives, staying in school and not living with a male partner have been shown to decrease teen moms’ chances of having another birth. In addition, research demonstrates that programs such as home visits with teen mothers, case management, mentoring programs, and parenting classes can delay subsequent childbearing.
Teen Childbearing in Georgia Costs Taxpayers $344 Million Annually
Despite a 30% decline in the state teen birth rate between 1991 and 2004, teen childbearing in Georgia cost taxpayers at least $344 million in 2004, according to a recent analysis released by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Between 1991 and 2004, there have been more than 249,000 teen births in Georgia, costing taxpayers an estimated $5.7 billion over that period. Of these costs, 48% were federal costs and 52% were state and local costs.
The good news is that the 30% decline in the teen birth rate between 1991 and 2004 in Georgia has yielded substantial costs savings. The progress Georgia has made in reducing teen childbearing saved taxpayers an estimated $227 million in 2004 alone.
For more information about the analysis:
Visit the National Campaign’s By the Numbers website for a fact sheet detailing teen childbearing costs in Georgia as well as the national By the Numbers report.
See G-CAPP’s Fact Sheet " Teen Pregnancy & Georgia’s Economy".
No Time for Complacency
In the past decade the teen pregnancy rate in Georgia declined 30%. Despite our progress, we cannot afford to become complacent about teen pregnancy. To ensure that rates continue to decline, G-CAPP has launched a 15 by 15 statewide goal – to reduce the teen pregnancy rate another 15% in our state by year 2015. To learn more about why the goal is important, see G-CAPP’s " Teen Pregnancy in Georgia: No Time for Complacency" PowerPoint Presentation (2006).
Teen Pregnancy in the Latino Community
Latino teens have the highest teen pregnancy rate of all racial/ethnic groups in the state of Georgia, and that rate has increased over the past decade while it has declined significantly among African American and White teens. To learn more see G-CAPP’s Issue Brief "Dynamics of Teen Pregnancy in Georgia's Latino Community: Defining the Urgency" (2004).
Minor’s Access to Reproductive Health Care in Georgia
To learn more about minors’ access to reproductive health care in Georgia and how service providers can provide teen-friendly services, see the Minor’s Access to Reproductive Health Care in Georgia produced by G-CAPP and partner organizations (2004).
