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U.S. teen birth rate rises for first time in 14 years
SOME EXPERTS BLAME 'ABSTINENCE ONLY'
By Mike Stobbe
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA --
In a troubling reversal, the nation's teen birth rate rose for the first time in 14 years, surprising government health officials who had no immediate explanation.
The birth rate had been dropping since its peak in 1991, although the decline had slowed in recent years. Yesterday, government statisticians said it rose 3 percent from 2005 to 2006.
U.S. health officials said it was possibly a one-year statistical blip and not the beginning of an upward trend.
But several experts said they have been expecting a jump. They blame the increase on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education programs that do not teach how to use condoms and other contraception.
Infection rates for some key sexually transmitted diseases have been rising, including syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. The rising teen pregnancy rate is part of the same phenomenon, said Dr. Carol Hogue, an Emory University professor of maternal and child health.
The new report is based on a review of more than 99 percent of the birth certificates from last year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A final report is due out next year, but the findings are not expected to change significantly, CDC officials said.
http://www.kentucky.com/148/story/250985.html
SOME EXPERTS BLAME 'ABSTINENCE ONLY'
By Mike Stobbe
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA --
In a troubling reversal, the nation's teen birth rate rose for the first time in 14 years, surprising government health officials who had no immediate explanation.
The birth rate had been dropping since its peak in 1991, although the decline had slowed in recent years. Yesterday, government statisticians said it rose 3 percent from 2005 to 2006.
U.S. health officials said it was possibly a one-year statistical blip and not the beginning of an upward trend.
But several experts said they have been expecting a jump. They blame the increase on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education programs that do not teach how to use condoms and other contraception.
Infection rates for some key sexually transmitted diseases have been rising, including syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. The rising teen pregnancy rate is part of the same phenomenon, said Dr. Carol Hogue, an Emory University professor of maternal and child health.
The new report is based on a review of more than 99 percent of the birth certificates from last year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A final report is due out next year, but the findings are not expected to change significantly, CDC officials said.
http://www.kentucky.com/148/story/250985.html
