Health workers notice more moms with second babies
The teen birth rate in San Benito County has declined, according
to the most recent study conducted by the Maternal, Child and
Adolescent Health program, the Office of Family Planning and the
University of California, San Francisco.
Health workers notice more moms with second babies
The teen birth rate in San Benito County has declined, according to the most recent study conducted by the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health program, the Office of Family Planning and the University of California, San Francisco.
The study released last month compared statewide birth rates from 2000/2001 to numbers from 2004/2005. To come up with the rate, the researchers took the number of births per 1,000 female teens ages 15-19.
For the years reviewed, San Benito’s overall rate went from 43.9 births per 1,000 teens to 36.9 – a 0.7 percent drop. The region covered in the study includes Hollister, Paicines, Panoche and San Juan Bautista.
The study broke out the rate into subgroups as well, including Hispanic, African American and Asian American. In San Benito, the rate for Hispanic teens dropped from 63.8 to 52.6 – a 1.1 percent drop. The population was too low in the other subgroups to include in the study.
Statewide, the birth rate has been on the decline since 1991 and the state rate was 37.2, while the nation average was 40.5.
Hispanic teens in California have seen the slowest decline and the subgroup remains the one with the highest percentage of teen births. In 2005, 72 percent of teenagers to give birth identified as Hispanic, 14 percent as white, 8 percent as African American, 3 percent as Asian/Pacific Islander, and 1 percent each as American Indian or multiple race.
“For our statistics, the definition by the state goes through age 19, and that includes the first two years of being legal adults,” said Catherine Farnham, the Perinatal Services Coordinator for the San Benito County Public Health Division. “When you look at the cultural composition [of the county], with greater than 50 percent Hispanic, it is culturally appropriate to have children at a younger age.”
Another statistic that state health workers are now taking notice of is how many teen mothers are having their second child.
Statewide there are programs that address teen pregnancy prevention and that offer resources to pregnant teens and teen moms. In the county, one of those programs is the Adolescent Family Life Program, where young moms can learn about proper health care, nutrition and get referrals to other resources. Hollister Youth Alliance also runs a program for teen moms and dads.
“We really wanted to connect with schools to see that our young parents can graduate and be successful,” said Diane Ortiz, the executive director of the Hollister Youth Alliance. “We have a teen parenting program, so it’s for moms and dads. One of our goals is to reduce or prevent repeat pregnancies, and to also help these young parents maneuver through school and graduate.”
The program has been in effect for one year, and the first class of teen parents graduated recently.
Farnham expressed concerns that funding has been cut for some programs that do outreach to teen moms. One such program, the Stork’s Nest, worked with teen and low-income moms to refer them to health care treatment during their pregnancy and the baby’s first year. Moms received points for going to medical appointments and receiving proper health care, and then received vouchers to trade for clothing or other baby items.
“I am so concerned about the future with these budgets because if we decrease the education to current boys and girls, and teens – and if we decrease programs that help people access health care and programs that support teen parents – chances are that the rates are likely to rise,” she said.
According to the study, teen births can have social and economic impacts outside of the family and can cost as much as $1.7 billion a year to California taxpayers. These costs include Medi-Cal; state Chidren’s Health Insurance program; welfare; costs for increased foster placements and teen incarceration; and lost tax revenue due to parents’ and children’s decreased earnings and spending.
