This is encouraging news:
The number of U.S. babies born to teen mothers dropped to record lows in 2011, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fewer women also gave birth in their 20s than in prior years, researchers found – but the birth rate increased for those in their late 30s and early 40s.
The study — published in Pediatrics — found that between 2010 and 2011, just over 3% of 15-19 year old American females had babies. This represents a drop of 8%. Interestingly, the birth rate in 35-39 year olds increased by 3% over the same time period.
Genevra Pittman presents some other findings:
Black and Hispanic mothers continued to be more likely to have a premature baby than white women, but rates declined among all races. Infant mortality was more than twice as high among babies born to black mothers as in babies of white moms, death records showed.
Read Reuters article here.
Read the Annual Summary of Vital Statistics: 2010-2011 in Pediatrics here.