The issue of teen pregnancy has been a public health concern for a long time. Teen pregnancy prevalence is defined as “the number of girls per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 who become pregnant” (Wiltz, 2015, par. 9). The majority of these pregnancies are unplanned and thus it becomes an issue of concern to the involved authorities. However, Black and Latin American teens are more likely to become pregnant as compared to their white counterparts (US Department of Health & Human Services, 2016.
According to Hamilton, Martin, Osterman, Curtin, and Mathews (2015), “In 2014, a total of 249,078 babies were born to women aged 15–19 years, for a birth rate of 24.2 per 1,000 women in this age group” (p. 4). However, even though this number of teen pregnancies is higher as compared to other developed countries, the rates have decreased by around sixty percent over the last two decades. Statistics indicate that the problem of teen pregnancies is highest amongst Hispanics followed by Blacks, and by the end of 2013, the numbers stood at 42 and 39 births per 1000 respectively. Asian Pacific Islanders and Whites had the lowest teen pregnancy cases by the end of 2013 at 9 and 19 births per 1000 respectively. This trend is attributed to socioeconomic disparities, which are inherent across these racial groups.
The focus will be on Hispanics as they are the most vulnerable to the problem of teen pregnancy according to the available statistics. Therefore, this racial group requires utmost attention in terms of teen pregnancy prevention and education programs. Such efforts will reduce the numbers significantly by addressing the underlying causal factors like poverty and beliefs among other socioeconomic issues that contribute to the current prevalence rates.
The PEW Charitable Trusts website offers elaborate information concerning the prevalence of teen pregnancy across different racial groups. The website has a research and analysis section where this public health issue is addressed extensively. On the website, teen pregnancy prevention measures have been explored, which offers the best resource for this course.
Reference
Hamilton, B., Martin, J., Osterman, M., Curtin, S., & Mathews, S. (2015). Births: Final data for 2014. National Vital Statistics Reports, 64(12), 1-64.
Wiltz, T. (2015). Racial and ethnic disparities persist in teen pregnancy rates. The PEW Charitable Trusts. Web.
US Department of Health & Human Services: Trends in Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing. (2016). Web.