Indicator: Youth Pregnancy

Outcome (s): Children and youth respected, safe and nurtured in their communities

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 18.9 and for females 18-19 was 59.1. Rates since 2003, culminating in the most recent 2005 data, have remained relatively stable. 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 Source 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.