Important Facts for Adolescent births

Definition

The adolescent birth rate is reported as the number of live births per 1,000 adolescent females aged 15-19.

Numerator

The number of live births to adolescent mothers aged 15-19.

Denominator

The number of adolescent females in the population.

Data Interpretation Issues

The adolescent birth rate does not include abortions or miscarriages, and is an underestimate of the adolescent pregnancy rate.

Why Is This Important?

Research indicates that bearing a child during adolescence is associated with long-term difficulties for the mother, her child, and society. These consequences are often attributable to poverty and other adverse socioeconomic circumstances that frequently accompany early childbearing. Compared to babies born to older mothers, babies born to adolescent mothers, particularly young adolescent mothers, are at higher risk of low birth weight and infant mortality. These babies are more likely to grow up in homes that offer lower levels of emotional support and cognitive stimulation, and they are less likely to earn a high school diploma. For mothers, giving birth during adolescence is associated with limited educational attainment, which in turn can reduce future employment prospects and earning potential.

Other Objectives

Utah's 42 Community Health Indicators[[br]] Similar to HP2020 Objective FP-8: Reduce PREGNANCIES among adolescent females.

How Are We Doing?

The teen birth rates per 1,000 females aged 15-19 in Utah, for the past five years were: 2019: 11.4[[br]] 2020: 10.2[[br]] 2021: 9.2[[br]] 2022: 8.3[[br]] 2023: 8.0 According to the 2022 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Survey (PRAMS) data, 42% of Utah teen mothers (age 15-19) reported their pregnancies as mistimed or unwanted. Another 25% reported that they were unsure whether or not they wanted to be pregnant.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

The adolescent birth rate in Utah has been lower than the U.S. overall rate over the past decade but is higher than in several other states. Utah and U.S. adolescent birth rates per 1,000 females aged 15-19 for the past five years were: 2019: Utah 11.4/U.S. 16.7[[br]] 2020: Utah 10.2/U.S. 15.4[[br]] 2021: Utah 9.2/U.S. 13.9[[br]] 2022: Utah 8.3/U.S. 13.6[[br]] 2023: Utah 8.0/U.S. 13.1

What Is Being Done?

__Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs:__ The Utah Department of Health and Human Services receives federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Family & Youth Services Bureau to provide two programs addressing teen pregnancy prevention in Utah. The first program is Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE). Funds for this program must be used to implement evidence-based programs that teach participants to voluntarily refrain from sexual activity; normalize the optimal health behavior of avoiding non-marital sexual activity; and address the social, psychological, and health gains to be realized by refraining from sexual activity and engaging in healthy relationships. SRAE reaches youth ages 10-19 and/or their parents, with a specific focus on youth with higher than average adolescent birth rates, including youth in the Utah juvenile justice and foster care systems; youth residing in rural areas; or other communities with birth rates higher than the Utah state rate. The second program is the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP). These funds must be used for evidence-based interventions designed to educate adolescents on both abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, and at least three adulthood preparation subjects (healthy relationships, education and career success, healthy life skills, adolescent development, financial literacy, and parent-child communication). The service population for PREP in Utah is youth ages 14-19, and their parents, with a specific focus on youth with higher than average adolescent birth rates, including youth in the Utah juvenile justice and foster care systems; pregnant and parenting teens; youth residing in rural areas; or other communities with birth rates higher than the Utah state rate. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) sub-contracts these federal funds to local health departments, community agencies, and tribal entities or governments. For more information or questions regarding the two programs mentioned above, contact Sarah Schafer at 801-247-9382 or sarahschafer@utah.gov.

Evidence-based Practices

The Utah teen pregnancy prevention programs utilize the following evidence-based interventions: *Choosing the Best[[br]] *Families Talking Together[[br]] *INclued [[br]] *Get Real[[br]] *Making Proud Choices[[br]] *Sexual Health and Adolescent Risk Prevention (SHARP) [[br]] *Teen Outreach Program (TOP)