Indicator 16: Youth Pregnancy

 

Why This Is Important

Teen pregnancy places both the young mother and her child at risk for a variety of medical,
social, and economic problems. Teen parents typically complete less education, earn less
money, and are more likely to be single parents. The overwhelming majority of teens in the
United States do not want to become parents as teens.

 

 

 

Where We Stand

Maine saw the sharpest decline in the nation in teen pregnancy rates during the first half of the
1990s, and pregnancy rates continued to decline in Maine and the U.S. from then to 2003 .
In 2003, the pregnancy rate (per 1,000) for females ages 10-14 was 0.4, for females 15-17
was 18.4 and for females 18-19 was 61.7. Comparable national data is not available due to
the inconsistency of reporting across states. According to the Maine Pregnancy Risk
Assessment Monitoring System, 77.6 % of pregnancies of Maine women 19 years of age or
younger were unintended in 2003, up from 71.4% in 2002.

 

Data Sources and Context

The data source for this indicator is the Maine Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System,
Office of Data, Research and Vital Statistics, Bureau of Health, Maine Department of Health
and Human Services.