Modesto Bee Article

By Ken Carlson, Modesto Bee Staff Writer
last updated: May 12, 2009

Births to teen mothers are at a record low in California, but the rate is much higher in Stanislaus County and still needs to be addressed, health officials said Monday.

Teen mothers gave birth to 53,393 babies in California in 2007, a rate of 37.1 births per 1,000 females and down from 37.8 per 1,000 in 2006. The most recent data available are from 2007.

Stanislaus County had 1,040 births to mothers ages 15 to 19, or 44.9 births per 1,000 females and a slight increase from 2006.

The county has the 14th-highest teen birthrate among the state's 58 counties, and Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin counties are grouped with 18 counties where the rate far exceeded the state average from 2005 to 2007, according to data released Monday by the California Department of Public Health.

Teen births are less common in Tuolumne County, where the rate was 24.4 births per 1,000 from 2005 to 2007.

"Teenage childbearing presents numerous challenges for both mother and child, including higher risks of medical problems and poverty," said Dr. Mark Horton, director of the state health department. "While we recognize there is more work to do, the record low teen birthrate (in California) is a significant public health achievement."

Teen pregnancy occurs less often than in the 1990s, when the numbers set off alarms in the public health community. Teen mothers are less likely to finish high school or attend college and often are fated to live at a lower economic level.

According to studies, the financial burden on taxpayers includes everything from higher costs for health care and public assistance to lost tax revenue based on the parents' lower incomes.

Stanislaus County's teen birthrate is 42 percent lower than it was in 1994, a decline attributed to comprehensive sex education in schools and other education programs. It appears teens are less likely to give up their future to early parenthood and are more aware of sexually transmitted diseases.

"We talk a lot about the ramifications of being a teen parent," said Esmeralda Gonzalez, health promotions manager for the county Health Services Agency, which does presentations in schools. "We do emphasize that the best way not to get pregnant or contract an STD is abstinence, but we do provide information about birth control."

Officials cite a variety of factors for the higher teen birthrates in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, such as poverty, the number of parents making long-distance commutes and the higher teen pregnancy rates among Latinas.

The Health Services Agency and community organizations have planned activities this month aimed at preventing teen pregnancies, including forums encouraging parents to talk with their teen-age children about sexuality and good decision-making.

"In my opinion, it is always a priority because the low- income community always seem to be impacted by these issues," Carole Collins, program manager for the West Modesto King-Kennedy Neighborhood Collaborative. "We have to keep looking at these issues. They are not going away."

Bee staff writer Ken Carlson can be reached at kcarlson@modbee.com or 578-2321.