A dramatic decline in teen births among black and Hispanic mothers over the last decade has reduced the under-20 national birth rate to a new low, according to data released Thursday by the federal government.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shows teen births have dropped by more than 40 percent since 2006, spurred by 51 and 44 percent plummets among Hispanic and black teens, respectively.
CDC director Tom Frieden praised efforts to reduce the teen pregnancy rate, but said there is still work to be done.
“The United States has made remarkable progress in reducing both teen pregnancy and racial and ethnic differences, but the reality is, too many American teens are still having babies,” Dr. Frieden said in a press release.
Although black and Hispanic teen birth rates have dropped, they still remain nearly twice as high as the national white teen birth rate.
Communities with higher unemployment rates, lower income and lower educational attainment rates were also correlated with higher teen birth rates, regardless of race, the report found.
“By better understanding the many factors that contribute to teen pregnancy we can better design, implement, evaluate, and improve prevention interventions and further reduce disparities,” Dr. Frieden said.
The report analyzed data from the National Vital Statistics System to examine trends among teens aged 15 to 19 from 2006 to 2014.
• Bradford Richardson can be reached at brichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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