Mississippi teen pregnancy rate highest in US
An increase in pregnancy-related strokes in the United States is alarming, considering recent advancements in childbirth safety. Researchers believe the increase is due to a change in lifestyle, with one in every five pregnant women being obese.
Mississippi has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the country, with 55 teen births per 1,000 girls, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Tuesday, following up on a newly released report on the incidence of pregnancy among US teens.
The report, which relied on state figures, found that New Hampshire has the lowest teen birth rate, and the entire country, including New Hampshire and Mississippi, saw an overall decline in teen births from 2007 to 2010. The biggest drop was in Arizona at 29 percent. Rates in Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia stayed about the same, Reuters reported.
The teenage birth rate has hit its lowest point since record-keeping began in 1940, Fox News reported. This has been attributed to better pregnancy prevention efforts, and a recent government survey, cited in the CDC's report, showed an uptick in the use of contraception by teens.
Hispanics and blacks had the highest teen birth rates, and teen birth rates were higher in the South and Southwest and lower in the Northeast and Upper Midwest, the CDC said.
"In spite of these declines, the US teen birth rate remains one of the highest among other industrialized countries," the CDC said.
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Births by mothers of all ages had dropped in 2010 for the third straight year, the CDC reported. Experts cite the economy as a factor for the overall decline, Fox News reported.