Despite that in recent years the number of teenage mothers between 15 and 17 years of age has been reduced in the U.S., a new report revealed that Latina teenagers are still the group with the biggest number of pregnancies.
The report revealed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) detailed that despite preventive campaigns and a decrease in teenage pregnancies, births in this population group still reach 1,700 births per week, according to Fox News.
The same source detailed that Carla Galindo, CDC investigator, said that "This month's Vital Signs issue found that in 2012 over 86,000 babies were born to teenagers between 15 and 17."
The rate of births for every 1,000 teenager between 15 and 17, however, saw a reduction of 51.9% in 1997 to 17% in 2012.
According to Medical News Today, teenage mothers not only face various social and economic challenges, but their babies run various risks.
The CDC report can be read online and in it, investigators detailed that they examined the birth data registered by the National Vital Statistic System and data on the health behavior of teenagers from the National Survey of Family Growth.
"Although we've made significant progress to reduce the number of pregnancies in teenagers, many still have babies," said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, according to Medical News Today.
More Latino Mothers
Although the results of the investigation showed that the birth rate also slowed down among Latinas, the number of pregnancies in this group is still much higher than the ones in other groups, a historical trend that has not slowed down.
Facing this, medical authorities highlighted that they will continue to develop initiatives and campaigns to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies in the country.
"We're advising adults and family to talk with their children at a young age on the decisions of personal, sexual relations and the use of contraceptives to avoid these pregnancies, " said Galindo, reported Fox.