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Teen Births are the number of births per 1,000 female population, ages 15-19.
Evidence suggests teen pregnancy significantly increases the risk of repeat pregnancy and of contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI), both of which can result in adverse health outcomes for mothers, children, families, and communities. A systematic review of the sexual risk among pregnant and mothering teens concludes that pregnancy is a marker for current and future sexual risk behavior and adverse outcomes. Pregnant teens are more likely than older women to receive late or no prenatal care, have gestational hypertension and anemia, and achieve poor maternal weight gain. Teens are also more likely than older women to have a pre-term delivery and low birthweight baby, increasing the risk of child developmental delay, illness, and mortality.
Teen birth rates are associated with unsafe sexual activity. Teen birth data are readily available and reliable for nearly all counties. The primary limitation of this measure is that it does not capture births among teens younger than 15. Though the incidence of teen births in this cohort is particularly low, births at such a young age are more likely to result in adverse health and socioeconomic outcomes. Teen births and teen pregnancy are distinct but related measures. Although all births are the culmination of a pregnancy, not all pregnancies culminate in a birth.
Data on deaths and births were provided by NCHS and drawn from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). These data are submitted to the NVSS by the vital registration systems operated in the jurisdictions legally responsible for registering vital events (i.e., births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and fetal deaths).
County-level data are available for counties with populations of 100,000 persons or more in CDC WONDER, and you can stratify by the age, race, or education of the mother among other variables.
Another way to access this data is through the Community Commons Health Equity Assessment Report. Data by race can be found for some communities. Note that you will need to login to access this report, but registation is free for all.
 Meade CS, Ickovics JR. Systematic review of sexual risk among pregnant and mothering teens in the USA: Pregnancy as an opportunity for integrated prevention of STD and repeat pregnancy. Soc Sci Med. 2005;60:661-678.  Scholl TO, Hediger ML, Belsky DH. Prenatal care and maternal health during adolescent pregnancy - A review and meta-analysis. J Adolesc Health. 1994;15:444-456.  Chandra PC, Schiavello HJ, Ravi B, Weinstein AG, Hook FB. Pregnancy outcomes in urban teenagers. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2002;79:117-122.
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