Births to teenage mothers continue to decline, but nearly one in five teen births is a repeat birth, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
In 2010, more than 365,000 teens aged 15-19 years gave birth, and 18.3% (66,761) of those were repeat births. Most (85.7%) were second births, but almost 8,400 (12.6%) teens had a third child and more than 1,100 (1.7%) had a fourth-to-sixth child, according to the CDC (MMWR 2013 April 2;62[Early Release];1-7).
The percentage of births that were repeat births has declined 6.2% since 2007, when it was 19.5%.
"Teen birth rates in the United States have declined to a record low, which is good news," CDC director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., said in a statement. "But rates are still far too high. Repeat births can negatively impact the mother’s education and job opportunities as well as the health of the next generation."
Repeat teen births showed geographic and racial/ethnic disparities. In 2010, prevalence was highest in eight southern and western states and lowest in six northeastern states and Wyoming. The prevalence was highest in American Indian/Alaska natives (21.6%), followed by Hispanics (20.9%), non-Hispanic blacks (20.4%), Asians/Pacific Islanders (17.6%), and whites (14.8%) according to the data from the National Vital Statistics System.
