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A new report claims that teen births in Massachusetts are at a striking low rate. Published by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Friday, the report claims that Massachusetts adolescents conceive babies at memorable low rates, only 12 in 1,000 mothers being aged 15 to 19.
As indicated by the Massachusetts Birth Report in 2013, the generally low conception rates penetrated all types of communities regardless of size, ethnicity or age. Overall, the birth rate dropped in 2013 by 14% compared to 2012. In absolute numbers this means that, in 2012, 14 teenagers below 19 years old had babies.
Massachusetts’ teen birth incidence is usually below the country average, in 2013 being under half of the national rate set at 26.6 per 1,000 women. The country wide adolescent birth incidence is also gradually going down. If data for all the U.S. is taken into account then teen pregnancy reached truly low rates this May.
According to data gathered by The Guttmacher Institute, in 2010, about 57.4 young women were carrying children out of each 1000 women. This implies a 51% decrease as compared to 1990’s peek teen birth rate. Also from 2008 to 2010, the young mothers rate decreased by 15%. Most agree that the decline was due to improved access to healthcare and increased used of contraceptive means. The figures are, however based on officially registered births.
In the particular case of Massachusetts, the report suggests that the dynamic of teen births was influenced by the long- term use of birth controls as well as by educational campaigns aiming at reaching youngsters more likely to conceive babies.
According to John Polanowicz Health and Human Services Secretary for the Executive Office, having a baby at a very young age can have a severe impact on the teen’s future, from leaser education to higher rates of conjugal precariousness and single parenthood. Polanowicz emphasized that it is paramount to proceed with initiatives aiming at dropping adolescent conception rates even lower.
The general rates of birth in Massachusetts decreased by 1% compared to 2012 and by 15% compared to 1990. The report also incorporates data about improvements concerning pregnancy oral hygiene, steadiness in pregnant women’s diabetes rates and a drop in C-sections.
There was, likewise, a decrease in the figure indicating women who smoked while expecting a baby in 2012 by 7%. Mothers with normal weight levels also increased in number. About 53% of mothers living in Massachusetts had a normal Body Mass Index (BMI) before they developed a pregnancy. This is considered a critical factor in determining the well being of both mother and child.
