(Undated) - Kentucky ranks seventh in the nation for teen pregnancies, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.
Tuesday’s report says nearly every state saw a decline in teen births from 2007 to 2010. America’s teen birth rate fell 9.0 percent in 2010, the third straight year of declines.
The national figure of 34.3 teen births per 1,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 is the lowest since record keeping began in 1946.
The report stated rates were down across all racial and ethnic groups.
Each of the three local states – Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky – witnessed a significant decrease of between eight and 19 percent from 2007 to 2010.
Despite the decline, Kentucky still ranked seventh with 46.2 births per 1,000 teenagers. Indiana ranked 19th with 37.3 births. Ohio was 23rd with 34.2 births.
The highest teen birth rate occurred in Mississippi at 55 per 1,000. The lowest was New Hampshire at 15.7.
Arizona saw the largest drop in its teen birthrate over the past three years at 29 percent. Rates stayed about the same in three states: Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia.
The report stated rates have fallen 44 percent since 1991, resulting in 3.4 million fewer babies over the following 18 years.
The full report from the CDC can be found online at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db89.htm.
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