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NORTH CAROLINA STATE LIBRARY
: ;hsb studies'
N. C.
Doc.
MAR 2 9 1979
A Special Report Series by the N,C. Department of Human Resources, Division of
Health Services, Public Health Statistics Branch, P.0. Box 2091, Raleigh, N.C.
No. 13
March 1979
FOCUS .... TEENAGE PREGNANCIES
NORTH CAROLINA, 1973-1977
Figure 1
Resident Birth, Abortion, Fetal and
Total Pregnancy Rates per 1,000 Population Aged 15-19
North Carolina, 1973-1977
Widespread concern about the social, eco¬
nomic and health consequenci es of teenage preg¬
nancy has led to a statewide effort to reduce
these pregnancies. This report focuses on the
recent childbearing and abortion patterns of
North Carolina resident teenagers.
Although births to teenagers have
decreased in recent years, the total number of
pregnancies has not changed. The birth decrease
has occurred simultaneously wi th an increase in
abortion; however, this does not imply that a
single abortion accounts for each averted birth.
To the contrary, because abortions enable women
to return to the fertile state sooner than if
they had carried their pregnancies to term,
more than one abortion is required to replace
one live birth. It has been estimated that net
births averted per abortion vary from 0.45 to
0.90 depending on assumptions about the effi¬
ciency of accompanying contraception, the timing
of abortions and the age at which a woman starts
family limitations. (1,2)
The age group 1 5~ 1 9 has been identified
as a distinct group of females, composed of
school-age girls of childbearing age, and will
be used in this report. Although pregnancies
do occur to girls under 15 years old, there is
no detailed discussion of pregnancies among the
10- 1 A age group in this report because the rates
a detai led analysis.
Although this report does not attempt to explain or account for the recent trends
In teenage pregnancy, it does present and describe the available statistics. These data
document some of the less fortunate circumstances which accompany birth to a girl 15-19
years old; such a birth is more likely to be illegitimate, of low birthweight, and to a
mother who received inadequate prenatal care.
Births and Birth Rates
In 1977, a total of 17,778 babies were born to mothers aged 15-19 years. This
compares to 21,883 in 1973 (3). Both whites and nonwhites contributed to this decrease
with the relative decrease being somewhat larger for whites.
The birth rate for teenaged girls in North Carolina was 83-7 per 1,000 population
in 1973. In the past 4 years the rate has declined steadily to a low of 68.2 in 1977.
Table 1 shows the 1 97 3“ 1 977 race-specific birth rates for this age group.
Data in this table indicate that birth rates for white and nonwhite teenagers
declined considerably from 1973 to 1977, and the race differential increased slightly.
TERR
are very low and data do not support
