For Release: IMMEDIATE
Date: October 20, 2004

Contact: Carol Schriber

N.C. teen pregnancy rates continue to drop

RALEIGH—Teen pregnancy rates in North Carolina have decreased for the 13th year in a row to the lowest rates ever. The pregnancy rate for all girls ages 15 through 19 declined 4.8 percent from 2002 to 2003, according to the State Center for Health Statistics. Adolescent pregnancy rates have declined by 42 percent in North Carolina since 1990.

The disparity between white and minority teen pregnancy rates has continued to narrow. In 1990, the minority teen pregnancy rate was 1.8 times higher than the white rate. In 2003, the minority teen pregnancy rate had dropped to 1.6 times that for white teens. The rate gap has narrowed even further for teens aged 15-17.

The 2003 overall pregnancy rate for teens ages 15 through 19 was 61.0 pregnancies per 1,000 girls, down from 64.1 per 1,000 in 2002. The pregnancy rate for minority teens dropped 4.9 percent from the 2002 rate of 87.3 to 83.0 in 2003, while the rate for white teens went from 53.6 in 2002 down to 50.9 last year, a decline of 5.0 percent. The pregnancy rate among Hispanic adolescents in the state was 185.9 per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 in 2003, while African American teens had a pregnancy rate of 86.3. The number of pregnancies among American Indian teens and other minority groups was too low to calculate reliable rates.

The total number of North Carolina teens aged 15-19 who were pregnant in 2003 was 17,390. Thirty percent of those pregnancies were to girls who had been pregnant at least once before. The total number of 10- to14-year-olds who were pregnant last year was 443. These numbers include both married and unmarried females.

“It is really good news that teen pregnancy rates are still dropping in North Carolina,” said Dr. Leah Devlin, State Health Director. “We are especially glad to see that the disparity between white and minority rates is closing. Minority teen pregnancy rates have fallen dramatically since 1990 and are now at an all-time low.”

“North Carolina Public Health and the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina—APPCNC—have been working with communities on teen pregnancy prevention and teen parenting issues for the last 20 years,” Devlin said. “The fact that our teen pregnancy rates have continued to go down is due in large part to these cooperative efforts. Two great examples are Johnston and Wilson counties.”

Wilson County’s teen pregnancy rate fell 27 percent, from 102.8 in 2002—when it had the second-highest rate in the state—to 75.3 in 2003. It now ranks 22nd. One particularly successful program is the Wesley Shelter's Adolescent Parenting Program, which has gained increased program visibility through new community partnerships and the funding support of Wilson County Partnership for Children. The Wesley Shelter uses TOP, a teen outreach program, to offer a combination of sexuality classes and community outreach activities for teens. It also offers Teen Talk forums where middle school and high school students can talk about issues.

Johnston County’s rate has dropped dramatically since 1998 and went down another 13 percent between 2002 and 2003. Johnston had the state’s 40th-highest rate in 2002 (68.2); it is now ranked 61st, with a rate of 59.6. The county's intense efforts to reach teens who are most likely to be at risk for getting pregnant is likely to be the reason for the continuing reduction in teen pregnancy rates. The Johnston County Department of Social Services’ Adolescent Parenting Program, for example, serves over 70 teenaged mothers per year. These young mothers, in turn, do “the middle school circuit,” talking with other teens about their first-hand experience as a teen mom and all of its challenges, such as financial costs, lack of social life, and loss of freedom and life options.

For county rankings and information about reducing teen pregnancy, see the APPCNC website at www.appcnc.org. Parents can also contact APPCNC at nc4fact@appcnc.org or 919-932-9885 / 1-800-NC4-FACT. More information on state and county teen pregnancy rates and numbers is on the State Center for Health Statistics website at www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/healthstats/pregnancies/2003.

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Charts:

• Teen Pregnancy Rates, 2002
• Teen Pregnancy Rates, 2003
• Teen Pregnancy Rate Change, 02-03

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