skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

MN Teen Pregnancy, Birth Rates Fall to Historic Lows

play audio
Play

Friday, April 25, 2014   

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Some good news from a just-released report from Teenwise Minnesota, showing the teen pregnancy and birth rates in the state have fallen to historic lows.

Jill Farris, Teenwise’s director of Training and Education, says the rates were at their peaks in the early 1990s, but have been dropping steadily since.

"The pregnancy rate has declined about 58 percent in that time period and adolescent birth rates have gone down in that time period about 50 percent,” she says. “So, we're really encouraged by the progress that we've seen over the last couple of decades."

Farris attributes the declines to more young people using effective contraception and using it regularly, along with a growing number of teens who are waiting longer to become sexually active.

Farris says another positive from the report is that the chlamydia rate for teens fell between 2012 and 2013, the first such decline among that age group in 15 years.

"It is important to know, though, that overall the rate has gone up about 50 percent in the last decade,” she adds. “So, we're encouraged that it has gone down for one year, but at the same time we will be watching the numbers closely to see if this is kind of an aberration, or if it continues in a downward trajectory."

And while some may view the issue of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and teen pregnancy as one mainly for the Twin Cities, Farris notes young people are affected throughout the state.

"And in fact, the highest rates of pregnancy and birth that we see are actually not in the Metro area,” she points out. “They're all in rural Minnesota counties.

“Similarly, with chlamydia and gonorrhea rates, we certainly do see a lot of counties in Greater Minnesota that are affected and have really high rates among young people."

The entire 2014 Minnesota Adolescent Sexual Health report is available online at the Teenwise Minnesota website.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021