Encouraging news from the CDC as the teen birth rate hits a record low after years of decline.
The birth rate for American teens fell to 29.4 births per 1,000 in 2012 — a six percent drop from 2011, alone. Data shows it fell for all ethnic groups. (Via WEWS)
To put that into perspective, the report finds it's the lowest rate in 73 years. That's how long the government has been keeping track of teen births. (Via WBTV)
A lot of the progress has been made in the last few years. The birth rate in 2007 was 41.5 births per 1,000 teenage girls — falling almost 30 percent in the last five years. (Via NBC)
Data shows the teen birth rate has been cut in half since 1991, something doctors consider an encouraging trend. (Via WRTV)
A spokesman for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy told USA Today the number is a sign of more kids simply being safe.
"It really is this magic formula of less sex and more contraception that has driven the rates down … More kids are delaying sex … and the kids who are having sex are using contraception more consistently and carefully."
This comes at the same time the overall birth rate has hit a bit of a plateau. The Daily Mail reports it has fallen in the last year for women in their 20s, but has gone up slightly for women in their 30s and 40s.
The Wall Street Journal explains the birth rate starting to make a slow turnaround is a sign the economy is doing the same thing. The birth rate plummeted as the economy plunged in 2007 and 2008.
While the trend in teen births is going in the right direction, a spokeswoman with the American Academy of Pediatrics says, with more than 300,000 teen births last year, there’s still plenty of work to be done.
- See more at Newsy.com.
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