Katharine Pecorino GEOG 20U - Final Paper

Reasons behind the Fluctuating Rates: The Trends of Teenage Pregnancy in the U.S during the 21st Century

Katharine Pecorino GEOG 20U - Final Paper

Abstract The overall goal is to understand the changing rates of teenage pregnancy in the United States (between 1980 and 2010) by looking at different regions of the country. Most sources of information include data tables, charts and graphs, case studies and articles. Analysis will be based on related issues such as the roles of region, race, economic status and educational background. The focus will be on southern states and the tendencies of their inhabitants compared to those of different regions. Major conclusions will include answers to why the rates moved as they did and what the data indicates about certain areas. Teenage pregnancy, being a serious issue in the U.S, has troubled many people in the last 30 years. By assessing the data, we can hopefully nd the roots of this problem to make prevention possible. List of Key Words Pregnancy Rate Abortion Rate Birth Rate Age Range (15-19) Time Period (1980-2010) Unmarried Teenagers Expectant Mothers Teen Pregnancy Costs Teen Sex Statistics Pregnancy Teen Drop Out Rate Low Income Families Lack of Parental Support Lack of Education Birth Control/Contraception Unprotected Sex

Katharine Pecorino GEOG 20U - Final Paper

! ! ! !

! ! Reasons behind the Fluctuating Rates: The Trends of Teenage Pregnancy in the U.S during the 21st Century

The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rates in the industrialized

world (LiveStrong.com), and what has been perceived to be somewhat of a modern day problem, has actually been present in the U.S since the1980s. It has profoundly impacted families and single mothers over the past 30 years and due to media exposure and criticism from the public eye, teenage pregnancy has become an issue with extreme negative connotations where pregnant teens have been unfavorably labeled by many. What people fail to consider are the actual reasons behind the uctuating rates. Why have teens allowed their actions to result in a pregnancy? The root of the problem is where the solution will derive from. Another important aspect to explore involves location. Where in the U.S over the past 30 years has teenage pregnancy been most prevalent? By making connections between these two questions we can discover why the rates of teen pregnancy uctuated as they did and how geographical context played a role in inuencing the rates of certain regions. Hopefully this will provide audiences with a greater understanding of the issue and why it has become a problem in the U.S. that we have not yet started to tackle with effective efforts. ! Before looking at numerical trends, general causes of teenage pregnancy must be addressed to lay a foundation for understanding specic causes of inclining and declining rates for certain regions of the country. There seems to be three major reasons underlying teenage pregnancy. Educational deprivation has played a monumental role in increasing the chances of teenage pregnancy. Schools across the country cannot and will not all have strong health-based curriculums and as a result, high school students are not receiving equal educations regarding methods of prevention such as birth control, condoms, and the morning after pill. Some schools focus on this more than others because of budget issues and state mandates but unfortunately, a lack of teaching about sex and teen pregnancy will lead to unfortunate situations for many teens. Students who are ill-informed about teenage pregnancy and

Katharine Pecorino GEOG 20U - Final Paper

how to avoid it essentially have a greater chance of becoming pregnant. Another major cause is poverty. Teenagers living in impoverished areas cannot afford to purchase some contraceptives, leaving them to go without. Individuals effected by this disturbing situation wind up becoming pregnant solely because of nancial reasons. Contraception should be available to everyone despite their economic background. Lastly, teenage pregnancy can be attributed to a certain in the moment factor that prevents teens from thinking twice about their current actions. People engaging in sexual intercourse do not want to stop to use a condom, and in the moment, they are not thinking about long term effects. Other teens adapt a mindset that leads them to believe false tendencies. Some teens believe that rst-time sexual intercourse cannot lead to a pregnancy, along with having sex during one"s menstrual period; these are common misconceptions that can result in a pregnancy. All three general causes are not impossible to prevent and as we apply these causes to geographical contexts and numerical rates of teenage pregnancy in the U.S, the underlying problems may start to emerge. ! Teenage pregnancy, when looked at on a grand scale, has decreased from 111% in 1980 to 75.4% in 2002 (Guttmacher Institute, Table 2.1), which is a vast improvement. What is interesting is how the rates moved in between that time period. Instead of a steady decline, the trend followed more of an inconsistent pattern as shown by the graph below. The abnormal movement of teenage pregnancy in the U.S could be ! !

Katharine Pecorino GEOG 20U - Final Paper

because of individual state rates and how they are factored into the national statistic. Depending on the state, teenage birth rates are incredibly different and this could be a reason for the peaks and plummets in the line graph above. While certain states experienced a rise in teenage pregnancy rates, others experienced a decline which eliminates any possibility of a predictable and stable trend of teenage pregnancy for the U.S as a cohesive nation. For example, the states with the largest increases between 1970 and 2002 were in the states with the largest populations such as California (41%), Texas (51.4%) and Florida (41%), whereas northern states like New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey all experienced decreased rates that ended up in the 18-20% range. Additionally, the map below shows how the southern region of the country has the highest teenage pregnancy rates. After 2002, the rates in southern states continued to climb. Mississippi had the nation"s highest teenage pregnancy rate at 68.4% in 2006

while states right behind Mississippi included Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama. These southern states are far ahead of the New England states, who had the lowest teen birth rates in 2006. Other contenders with high rates include New Mexico and Arizona. There is somewhat of a clear division between low rates and high rates in northern and southern regions respectively, but at the same time certain individual states have experienced such drastic increases that have proved to hamper a steady decrease in national teenage pregnancy rates since the 1980s. It is apparent that the region in

Katharine Pecorino GEOG 20U - Final Paper

which a teen inhabits has inuence over their chances of becoming pregnant; it is just a matter of analyzing why these correlations exist. (UpNorth Health) ! The reasons behind the growth patterns of teen pregnancy during the past 30 years depend partly on geographical contexts that involve nancial, racial, educational, political and social differences between regions of the United States. Family income and poverty have evolved into a crucial nancial aspects that effect one"s likelihood of becoming pregnant at a young age. As shown by the map below, southern areas of the U.S, and more specically, the deep south (Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, etc.), have high rates of poverty stricken communities (Wikipedia).

The districts colored with a dark red indicate areas of high poverty and the south clearly is made up of more dark red districts than other areas of the country, like the Northeast region. Families living in impoverished areas are faced with challenges of maintaining a sustainable income supply that can support its members. A reason why these poor southern regions yield such high pregnancy rates is because many families, or teens, cannot afford methods of prevention. With the escalating cost of some types of birth control, many families who abide in southern parts of the country cannot afford to be purchasing contraceptives, especially if these contraceptives are something needed on a regular basis for sexually active teens. Additionally, convenience stores in low income districts may not see contraceptives as a necessary product and will decide against purchasing them to be sold to costomers thus leading to an unavailability in some

Katharine Pecorino GEOG 20U - Final Paper

communities. The unfortunate nancial condition of some southern communities plays a signicant role in the accessibility of birth control for many teens that are essentially, in some cases, becoming part of teenage pregnancy statistics because of a lack of available prevention methods within their vicinity. Family income has become a major factor inuencing teen pregnancy over the years and the effects are portrayed in northern and southern differences. It is clear that the New England states, who are typically known to have higher incomes than southern states, have produced lower teen pregnancy rates compared to the climbing rates in the south. (UpNorth Health) ! The differences in teenage pregnancy rates throughout regions of the country can also be attributed to a racial facet. According to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and prevention, Mississippi"s teenage pregnancy rate was more than 60% higher than the national average in 2006 and Texas and New Mexico"s rates were more than 50% higher. Experts have noted that these three states have large proportions of black and hispanic teenagers - groups that traditionally have higher birth rates. It is partially because of these racial groups that these states yield such high rates. The racial demographics of the United States effect regions of the country differently in terms of teenage pregnancy. Perhaps another reason why the Northeast region has had signicantly lower rates of pregnant teens compared to southern regions is because of racial differences. ! Because of the United States" system of federalism, certain powers are delegated to state governments, rather than the national government. This system has allowed for political and educational elements to come into play when accounting for regional differences of teenage pregnancy rates. State participation in teen pregnancy prevention programs, has increased over the years, however; there are still many states who do not have, local control over pregnancy prevention education programs, multiagency task forces for teen pregnancy prevention, school based abstinence education, contraceptive clinics in schools or contraceptive education. As the graph below indicates, the number of participating states have increased, but it is important to look at the number of states still not taking action. For example, one outstanding statistic on the graph states that there are still 27 states who have not incorporated

Katharine Pecorino GEOG 20U - Final Paper

contraceptive education into the public school curriculum. Something that should be taught in schools to prevent pregnancy and raise awareness is not being taught in over half the country. This gap in education across states should be another reason for such drastic regional differences in teenage pregnancy rates. It is a simple concept; states participating in more prevention problems will have lower teenage pregnancy rates that states who are not participating. Additionally, the national government has been blamed for funding abstinence-only health education that do not teach teens how to use condoms and other contraception (upNorth Health). This has been viewed as another reason for increased teenage pregnancy rates. ! Societal issues further support regional differences in teenage pregnancy rates. Some media portrayals are imperative when it comes to inuencing adolescence lifestyles. Stephanie Burch, a woman who directs maternal and child health programs for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services said glowing media portrayals of celebrity pregnancies don"t help either. They make it out to be very glamourous. She then went on to reveal that teen pregnancies were up 6% in Alaska in 2006. It is obvious that the public attention received by Bristol Palin, a teenage mother and the daughter of former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin, had some inuence over the teens within the

Katharine Pecorino GEOG 20U - Final Paper

state. Experts note that it is not a coincidence that 2006 marked the beginning of Sarah Palin"s career as Governor, the Palin families" sudden medial exposure and a spike in teenage pregnancy rates for the state of Alaska all at the same time. From this example, it can be inferred that social aspects relevant to teens in a specic region will impact the decisions of many young people as they attempt to conform to certain social pressures and expectations. ! Teenage pregnancy rates over the past 30 years have followed no particular trend that can be followed, however; the rates emerging from different areas of the country indicate how a region can play a role in inuencing indigenous teenage populations towards either becoming pregnant or preventing pregnancy. In conclusion, there is a wide range of data to support claims for an increase in teenage pregnancy rates in southern regions of the U.S, whereas northern regions experienced a decrease. The peaks and plummets in teenage pregnancy trends occurred at random points in time over the past 30 years which can be attributed to various climaxes and low points in rates spread out over the country. The rates changed the way they did due to nancial, racial, educational, political and social disparities between areas of the country. All communities throughout the U.S affected teenage populations in varying ways. In regard to national statistics, the trend of teenage pregnancy rates are somewhat unpredictable but it is reassuring to know that despite the ups and downs during this 30 year time period, the teenage pregnancy rates today, are much lower than they were in 1980. Even though it is difcult to access where the rates will go, one can optimistically predict that the overall national statistic will have decreased at the end of the next few decades. Similarly to the past few decades, the irregular peaks and plummets will most likely reoccur as different regions of the country experience a variety of results. Perhaps teenage pregnancy should be approached by only the federal government, this way there can be consistent regulations enforced on all 50 states, minimizing chances for gaps in education and availability of prevention methods. If the national government requires all states to take certain measures against teenage pregnancy, this will eliminate opportunities for states to skip over important assets that have proved to make a difference when effecting teens and their decisions regarding sexual intercourse. Additionally, local governments should focus in on what specically

Katharine Pecorino GEOG 20U - Final Paper

affects their own community and its teenagers so they can pinpoint the heart of the problem and formulate methods of prevention and awareness. Hopefully overtime, proposed solutions will work together to stabilize the now irregular trend of national teenage pregnancy rates, leveling it it off to a pattern of steady and persistent decline. ! ! ! ! !

Katharine Pecorino GEOG 20U - Final Paper

Works Cited Lay, Altana. Teen Pregnancy Rates. 2010. 29 October 2010. http://altanalaybeyoglu.bloguez.com/altanalaybeyoglu/966137/ teen- pregnancy-rates Spear, Hila J. "A Follow-up case study on teenage pregnancy." Heath Pulications. 2010. CBS Buisness Network. 2 November 2010. <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FSZ/is_2_30/ ai_n17207056/?tag=content;col1>. Stobbe, Mike. CDC report: Mississippi has the highest teen birth rate UpNorth Health. 2008. 27 October 2010. http:// www.upnorthhealth.com/community/0109teenpreg.html Teen Pregnancy Rates in the USA. Livestrong Blog. 2009. 2 November 2010. http://www.livestrong.com/article/12504-teen-pregnancyrates-usa/ Teen Pregnancy Statistics Pregnant Teen Help. 2010. 29 October 2010. http://www.pregnantteenhelp.org/statistics/teen-pregnancy-statistics/ Teenage Pregnancy Stats, Facts, and Prevention. Family First Aid. 2010. 27 October 2010. http://www.familyfirstaid.org/teen-pregnancy.html US: Teenage Pregnancy Rate, Birth Rate and Abortion Rate 1972-2005 Wordpress. 2008. 27 October 2010. http:// micpohling.wordpress.com/2008/01/30/us-teenage- pregnancyrate- birth- rate-and-abortion-rate-1972-2005/

Katharine Pecorino GEOG 20U - Final Paper

List of Figures (national)

Year 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1986 1988 1989 1990 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Pregnancy Rate 95.1 96.1 98.8 101.1 101.1 104.6 105.4 109.4 111.0 109.9 109.8 109.3 106.7 111.4 114.9 116.9 111.0 108.0 104.6 99.6 95.6 91.4 88.7 85.7 83.6 79.5 75.4