Teen Fertility
| Most recent CO value (2006) |
CO rank (2005) |
CO value (2005) |
Best state (2005) |
Best state value (2005) |
HP 2010 target |
39.2/1,000* |
32/50 |
42.6/1,000* |
New Hampshire |
|
43/1,000 |
Indicator Definition
Births to teens (ages 15–19 years), per 1,000.
Teen fertility rate
in Colorado6* |
 |
|
|
 |
| Teen fertility rate by race in Colorado7 |
 |
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Indicator Significance
Since 1990, there has been a consistent decline in the teen pregnancy rate in the United States. As a country, however, the United States has the highest rate of teen fertility among industrialized nations, nearly double that of Canada and eight times higher than Japan. The rate of decline has been very gradual with a mere 1 percent decrease in the teen pregnancy rate from 2003–04.
Teenage childbearing presents a challenge to both teen mothers and their children. Only one-third of teen mothers will complete high school. Women who give birth as teenagers face a significant disadvantage when competing in the job market and significantly increase the likelihood of raising their children in poverty. Children born to teen mothers also experience increased health risks including low birth weight and a range of developmental delays and disabilities. Teen pregnancy has been estimated to cost the United States $7 billion each year in excess health care costs.1
Colorado Specifics
Estimates indicate that a baby is born to a teen mother every four hours in Colorado. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, teen pregnancy-related expenses cost Colorado taxpayers at least $167 million in 2005.2 Teen pregnancy in Colorado disproportionately affects the Hispanic community with a rate of 105 births per 1,000 teens aged 15-19 in 2006. While the fertility rate has decreased for white, Asian, and American Indian teens, it has changed little for Hispanic teens in recent years.3
Promising Initiatives
In Colorado
The Colorado Adolescent Maternity Program (CAMP) is one of the oldest programs in the United States focused on teen pregnancy. CAMP is a source of prenatal care, delivery and postpartum care. The program views its participants as “resources to be developed and not as problems to be managed.” Its unique Little Sisters and Daughters Program involves the 12- to 14-year-old siblings of the teen mothers participating in CAMP. These younger teens meet with mentors who establish trust so that experiences can be shared, while also engaging them in discussions about future goals, including pregnancy prevention. The goals of CAMP are to provide comprehensive prenatal care, decrease high school dropout rates, and to prevent abuse and neglect of at-risk siblings and daughters who are at increased risk of teen pregnancy.4
Elsewhere
The United Way of Greater Milwaukee, Wisc., dedicates $900,000 each year to programs designed to prevent teen pregnancy. The United Way has developed its own Teen Pregnancy Prevention information campaign that brings issues related to teen pregnancy to the public’s attention. A United Way report, If Truth be Told, provides a comprehensive evaluation of programs throughout the state to objectively assess best practices and success stories. The United Way also has created an Oversight Committee of more than 30 community members to direct the public information and media campaign.5
Teen fertility rate8
Text
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “New Report Shows Teen Births Drop to Lowest Level Ever”; November 21, 2006.
- National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. “By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing”; October 2006.
- Colorado Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting and Prevention. “The State of Adolescent Sexual Health in Colorado 2007”; 2007.
- Colorado Adolescent Maternity Program.
- United Way of Greater Milwaukee. “If Truth Be Told”: 2006.
Charts
- Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Vital Statistics, 2000–2005.
* Note: Teen fertility rates from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) differ slightly from rates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) uses to rank states. The numerator used by CDPHE includes births reported after data have been sent to NCHS. For the denominator, CDPHE uses population estimates from the Colorado State Demography Office; NCHS uses population estimates from the Census Bureau. The 2005 value for Colorado from NCHS was 42.6/1,000 compared with 39.3/1,000 from CDPHE.
- Source: Birth data—Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Vital Statistics, 2006. Population data—U.S. Census Bureau, Population Statistics, 2006.
- Source: National Vital Statistics System, 2005, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.