Statistics-obtained from www.thenationalcampaign.org

 

In a recent poll, 60% of teens who have had sexual intercourse said they wish they had waited.
More than half of teen boys (57%) and 3 out of 4 girls (65%) surveyed said they wished they had waited.
 

Click here to view these current statistics:

Stats Table- Estimated Pregnancies, Pregnancy Rates for 2007-2009

10 Year Teen Pregnancy Rate Graph for Tuscaloosa County, AL

Teen Childbearing Social and Public Costs

Pregnancy

• In 2006, there were approximately 750,000 pregnancies to women younger than age 20 in the US and the rate of pregnancy was 71.5 per 1,000 women age 15-19.

• In 2008, the U.S. teen birth rate was 41.5 births per 1,000 girls age 15-19.

• Despite a 1/3 decline since the early 1990s, the US still has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and birth among com­parable countries.

• By comparison, the U.S. teen birth rate is nearly 2 times higher than the United Kingdom, which has the highest teen birth rate in Europe, and nearly 10 times higher than in Switzerland which has the lowest teen birth rate in Europe. Plus, the U.S. teen birth rate is more than 3 times higher than the teen birth rate in Canada.

• In 2009, the proportion of non-marital births to teens increased again—87.2% of births to teens aged 15-19 are non-marital, up from 86.7% in 2008. This is a total of 357,510 non-marital births to teens.

• Among teens under age 15 the proportion is 99.0%; to those 15-17 it is 94.2%; and to those 18-19 it is 84.2%.

• Children of teenage mothers have lower birth rates, are more likely to perform poorly in school, and are at a greater risk of abuse and neglect.

STDs

• Each year, there are approximately 19 million new STD infections, and almost half of them are among youth aged 15 to 24.

• In 2006, an estimated 5,259 young people aged 13-24 in the 33 states reporting to CDC were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, representing about 14% of the persons diagnosed that year.

• STD stats show, among those teenagers having teen sex, about 1:4 will contract an STD prior to adulthood

Most common types of STDs among teens

• Chlamydia: 40% of those with Chlamydia are 15-19 years old.  Teenage females were 3 times as likely as teenage males to carry this sexually transmitted disease. Black or African American individuals were 8 times as likely to have Chlamydia as white people or other races.
• Gonorrhea: While overall a higher percentage of males are known to carry Gonorrhea, female teens ages 15 to 19 carry the highest rates of Gonorrhea of the total population infected. However the number difference between males and females who carry this sexually transmitted disease is minimal, although black females tend to show the highest rates among the total number of carriers. Overall, blacks had 20.5 times the Gonorrhea rates as whites.
• Syphilis: Syphilis rates increased the most among teens and young adults aged 15 to 24 during the past 6 years.  Males tend to be the majority of syphilis carriers. Men who have sex with other men have a higher rate, nearly 80%, of the total number of males who are infected with this sexually transmitted disease. Black individuals have 9.1 times the reported syphilis rates compared to whites.
   

Teens, STDs and prevention 

• Only 42.8% of teenage females have discussed STDs and STD testing with their health care professional during a routine checkup.
• The statistics are even less with teenage males. Only 26.4% have discussed STD and STD testing with their doctor at a routine checkup.
   

Teens having sex

• According to teen sex statistics, 65% of all teens have had sex by the time they are seniors in high school
• STD statistics indicate of that percentage, 1:5 teens has had 4 or more sexual partners
• Increased numbers in sexual partners creates a greater risk for a teen to contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or sexually transmitted infection (STI).