Birth rates among black and Hispanic teenagers in America have fallen by almost half over the last decade, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed. The birth rate among teenagers across the country has also fallen to a historic low.
The reduction was due to community-centric initiatives aimed at the Black and Hispanic communities, The Verge reported. The CDC published the figures in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
"Despite [the] historic progress, profound disparities remain," Bill Albert told the Associated Press, as per The Christian Science Monitor. Albert is the chief program officer for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
U.S. teen birth rate is at an all-time low, led by declines among black and Hispanic teens https://t.co/6F5eT4xnqf pic.twitter.com/LxVlv64MoW
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) April 28, 2016
Rates Still Higher For Blacks and Hispanics Compared To White Teens
Birth rates for black teenagers fell by 44 percent while it fell by 51 percent for Hispanic teenagers, The Verge reported. The CDC based the figures on national- and state-level data on birth rates and their relationship to economic status for teenagers aged 15 to 19 from between 2006 to 2014.
Still, The Christian Science Monitor reported that in some states, teenage births among blacks and Hispanics is more than three times the rate for white teens. Meanwhile, teenage births in America have been decreasing ever since 1991 because of different social and cultural influences, with the decrease seen the sharpest from 2006 to 2014.
Teenage Birth Rates Still High
"The United States has made remarkable progress in reducing both teen pregnancy and racial and ethnic differences," CDC director Tom Frieden said in a statement, as per Reuters. "But the reality is, too many American teens are still having babies."
The lead author of the CDC teenage birth rate analysis, Lisa Romero, said in the same statement that teen birth rates differ greatly across and within states. She further noted that one solution cannot cater to all states and areas -- customized tactics must be employed to address the issue on teen birth rates.
How about you -- do you think one solution as a whole can lower teen birth rates even further? What is a good approach to resolve this concern? Make yourself heard in the comments below!
