Hispanic, older teens increasing pregnancy rate

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The number of pregnancies among Latinas in Alexandria under the age of 19 rose steadily from 71.1 per 1,000 in 2002 to 110 per 1,000 in 2005, Virginia Health Department statistics show. That is almost double the overall rate for Alexandria teens of 58.6 per 1,000 in 2005, the latest year for which data is available.

Among white and black teens, the pregnancy rate was 49 and 83.5 per 1,000 respectively, in 1996. By 2005 the rate among white teens had dropped to 25 per 1,000 and it was 59.2 per 1,000 for black teens.

Pregnancy rates include tallies of live births, abortions and stillbirths. The numbers are different than birth rates, often used as indicators of teen pregnancy because they are easier to obtain.

Though the teen pregnancy rate in the city has fallen 28 percent in that decade, it remains higher than in the rest of Northern Virginia.

The decline in Alexandria’s rate is not as dramatic as the District’s, where the pregnancy rate for teens 15 to 19 decreased from 204.3 per 1,000 girls in 1995 to 64.4 per 1,000 in 2005.

Written by admin on November 2nd, 2007 with no comments.
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