The Montgomery Area Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

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Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Web Site

Teen Pregnancy Facts

Facts and Stats You Should Know About Teenage Pregnancy (Ages 10-19 years) ^*

• Four Main Causes of Teen Pregnancy
  • Poverty
  • Dysfunctional family
  • Early school failure
  • Early behavior problems
• Montgomery County
  • 514 babies were born to teenagers in 2007.
  • These babies will fill 30 kindergarten classrooms in 2012.
  • There were 772 known pregnancies to teens in 2007.
  • Montgomery County's teen pregnancy rate is among the highest in Alabama with 46.8 pregnancies per 1,000 girls ages 10-19.
  • Montgomery County spends more than $88 Million each year in lost earnings and tax revenues, Welfare/Care, and Juvenile Justice costs.
• Autauga County
  • 91 babies were born to teenagers in 2007.
  • These babies will fill 6 kindergarten classrooms in 2012.
  • There were 138 known pregnancies to teens in 2007.
  • Autauga County's teen pregnancy rate is 38.6 pregnancies per 1,000 girls ages 10-19.
  • Autauga County spends more than $10.6 Million each year in lost earnings and tax revenues, Welfare/Care, and Juvenile Justice costs.
• Elmore County
  • 129 babies were born to teenagers in 2007.
  • These babies will fill 9 kindergarten classrooms in 2012.
  • There were 177 known pregnancies to teens in 2007.
  • Elmore County's teen pregnancy rate is 35.3 pregnancies per 1,000 girls age 10-19.
  • Elmore County spends more than $14.2 Million each year in lost earnings and tax revenues, Welfare/Care, and Juvenile Justice costs.
• Lowndes County
  • 40 babies were born to teenagers in 2007.
  • These babies will fill more than 3 kindergarten classrooms in 2012.
  • There were 53 known pregnancies to teens in 2007.
  • Lowndes County's teen pregnancy rate is 54.5 pregnancies per 1,000 girls ages 10-19.
  • Lowndes County spends more than $5.4 Million each year in lost earnings and tax revenues, Welfare/Care, and Juvenile Justice costs.
• State of Alabama
  • Alabama has the fifteenth highest teen pregnancy rate in the United States.
  • Montgomery County has the fourteenth highest Teen Pregnancy Rate in Alabama.
  • 8,776 babies were born to teenagers in 2007.
  • These babies will fill more than 585 kindergarten classrooms in 2012.
  • There were 12,398 known pregnancies to teenagers in 2007.
  • Alabama's teen pregnancy rate is 39.7 pregnancies per 1,000 girls ages 10-19.
  • Alabama spends more than $1.4 Billion each year in lost earnings and tax revenues, Welfare/Care, and Juvenile Justice costs.
• United States
  • The United States has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and births in the western industrialized world.
  • More than 820,000 babies were born to teenagers in the U.S. each year. Eight in ten of these pregnancies are unintended and 79% are to unmarried teens.
  • One out of every five teenage girls who are sexually active will become pregnant by the age of 18.
  • 10% of all 15-19 year olds become pregnant.
  • 70% of teen pregnancies are fathered by men older than 20.
  • 1/4 of teenage mothers have a second child within two years of the first.
  • Teen pregnancy costs the United States at least $7 Billion annually.
• Consequences of Teen Pregnancy
  • Almost 98% of sexually active teens regret early sexual involvement.
  • Teen pregnancy is the #1 reason teenage girls go to the hospital.
  • 1/3 of pregnant teens received inadequate prenatal care.
  • Teen mothers are less likely to complete high school (only one-third receive a high school diploma) and only 1.5% have a college degree by age 30. Teen mothers are more likely to end up on welfare (nearly 80%).
  • Teenage girls who are sexually active are htree times more likely to become depressed, and teenage boys who are sexually active are twice as likely to become depressed.
  • The children of teenage mothers have lower birth weights, are more likely to perform poorly in school, and are at greater risk of abuse and neglect.
  • The sons of teen mothers are 13% more likely to end up in prison while teen daughters are 22% more likely to become teen mothers themselves.
• You Should Know...
  • 47.8% of high school students have had sex at least once. This is a decrease from 54.1% in 1991, but has steady increased from 45.6% in 2001.
  • Prime-time television contains roughly three sexual acts an hour.
  • Younger sisters of teen mothers begin having sex at an earlier age than the average teen girl.

* Statistics provide by: Alabama Department of Public Health Center for Health Statistics, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy