Calif. Teen Birth Rate Drops To Record Low; Experts Credit Comprehensive Sex Education, Health Services

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Pregnancy / Obstetrics;  Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 25 Feb 2010 - 4:00 PDT

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California's teenage birth rate reached a record low in 2008, with about 35 births for every 1,000 female teens, according to figures released Monday by the state Department of Public Health, the Los Angeles Times reports. In 2007, the rate was 37.1 births per 1,000 female teens. Since 1999, California's teen birth rate has been lower than the national average, which has increased slightly in recent years. The national teen birth rate for 2007 was 42.5 per 1,000, up from 40.5 in 2005, the Times reports.

In California, the 2008 teen birth rate among Hispanics declined from 65 per 1,000 female teens in 2006 to 56.9 per 1,000 in 2008. Teen birth rates among black, whites, Asians and Pacific Islanders declined more gradually between 2006 and 2008.

"Obviously we're quite proud of these numbers," Laurie Weaver, head of the public health department's Office of Family Planning, said, adding, "This is the lowest teen birth rate for 15- to 19-year-olds as long as we've been tracking it." The teen birth rate in the state has dropped by nearly half since 1991, the Times reports. Norman Constantine, a senior scientist at the Public Health Institute and a clinical professor at the University of California-Berkeley School of Public Health, said the new figures are "absolutely phenomenal," adding, "It's almost unbelievable at a time when the national rate continues to go up."

Experts attribute the decline to California's teen pregnancy prevention efforts, which include family planning programs, comprehensive sex education and reproductive health services. According to Constantine, the state's Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment Program allocates about $45 million of its $450 million budget to services for teens (Khan, Los Angeles Times, 2/23). Public health department spokesperson Ken August said that the decline in teen birth rates from 2007 to 2008 saved California an estimated $98 million in medical and other social expenses (Gregory, Ventura County Star, 2/22).

August said that California's approach to sex education "has consistently included abstinence education," but "we have also encouraged that information be provided to teens that promotes responsible behavior, whether they are sexually active or not" (Whitcomb, Reuters, 2/22). According to the Times, California has never accepted federal funding for abstinence-only sex education programs. Weaver said the state's sex education curriculum is an "abstinence-plus" strategy. "We believe the only 100% effective way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease is through abstinence," Weaver said, adding, "But we do believe it is important to teach teens that if they choose to be sexually active, that they should be fully informed of contraceptives and have access to services" (Los Angeles Times, 2/23).

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