Wellness/Prevention: More Prevention Needed Regarding Teen Pregnancy

Though births to teens ages 15 to 17 years of age have decreased in recent years, girls in the United States are still giving birth to an estimated 1,700 babies per week. Investigators for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 73% of teens in this age group (15-17 years old) have not yet had sex. However, they found that among the teens in this age group who are sexually active, 80% had not had any formal sex education before they had sex for the first time. CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden adds, “Efforts to prevent teen childbearing need to focus on evidence-based approaches to delaying sexual activity and increasing use of the most effective methods of contraception for those teens who are sexually active.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, April 2014