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Teen birth rates at lowest level in nearly 60 years

Physician Practice Advisor, December 13, 2004

The birth rate among young adolescents aged 10 to 14 has fallen to the lowest level since 1946 according to a report released this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This report, Births to 10 to 14 Year-Old Mothers, 1990-2002: Trends and Health Outcomes, is the first ever analysis of births to this group of very young mothers, and was prepared by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. Between 1990 and 2002 almost 137,000 of these young mothers delivered a live birth. This number has declined steadily from a peak of 12,901 in 1994, to the current low of 7,315. If the 1990 rate had held through 2002, there would have been 34,336 additional births to the youngest teens.

The 38 percent decline in the number of births occurred despite the 16 percent rise in the female population aged 10 to 14 years.

Go to www.cdc.gov to read the full report.

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