By Justin D. Anderson
Daily Mail Capitol Reporter
www.dailymail.com
Teen births in West Virginia are on the rise for the first time in many years, mimicking a national trend.
Births among Mountain State teens jumped by 130 in 2006, the most recent year state data is available.
About 2,602 teenagers had babies that year, compared to 2,472 in 2005.
It was the first time in 8 years the state saw teen births increase. They had been on the decline, falling by 17 from 2004 and by 87 from 2003.
Nationally, teen births increased from 133,138 in 2005 to 138,920 in 2006 -- the first rise in 15 years, according to a new report from the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.
Meanwhile, a youth risk survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that sexual activity among teens -- which had been on the decline -- has leveled off for 2007. So has the use of contraception among teens, which had been on the increase.
Experts aren't sure why this is happening, but they say the survey results don't bode well for the teen birth rate.
"That suggests to me that we may see another increase" for 2007, said Bill Albert, chief program officer for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
Albert added that the survey doesn't include teens who have dropped out of high school - a group particularly at risk.
For West Virginia, the numbers seem to have provided a healthy dose of reality for officials engaged in prevention. West Virginia ranks 34th in the nation when it comes to teen births.
"We're hoping that's not a trend and it's going back up again," said Denise Smith, director of the family planning program of the state Department of Health and Human Resources. "It kind of warns us not to get complacent and there's still a big job to be done."
The state, through its Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Initiative program, provides educational resources about teen pregnancy to young people. The instruction starts in middle school, Smith said.
From January 1, 2007 through June 30, 2007, the program conducted 296 presentations on teen pregnancy to more than 13,169 students. The program also provides assistance to community groups aimed at prevention.
But Smith said there's only so much the program can do with its four coordinators.
Something that's not helping stem teen pregnancies is the notion that having babies is fashionable, Smith said. Most celebrity magazines devote space to who's got a "baby bump," and some of the famous people featured with their newborns aren't yet old enough to vote.
"I think they have glamorized it somewhat," Smith said.
Smith said there seems to be an increased sexualizing of young people and that sex and pregnancy often are portrayed on television and in movies as having no consequences.
Albert agreed.
"Babies are the new fashion accessory," he said. "I think you'd have to be pretty Pollyanna to think media doesn't help shape the social script for teenagers."
Albert said as the influence of media increases, the influence of others -- such as parents -- is fading.
"There's no one there to play editor for them," he said.
Smith said there are a number of other factors that seem to predetermine which girls are at risk, including their level of maturity, self-esteem, home life and community.
Smith said she is seeing less protective influences in teens' lives, with fewer family and community members teaching them how to avoid getting pregnant by encouraging responsible behaviors.
As a result, Smith said she has noticed an increased number of teens trying to be adults before they're ready.
Albert said the majority of federal funding for prevention is pigeonholed into teaching abstinence. He said that started during the welfare reform of the Clinton administration and funding has increased under President Bush.
He said the federal government spends about $130 million each year on abstinence education. States have to match the federal money 4-3, he said.
The focus on abstinence is troubling because "we simply don't have any strong evidence to suggest that abstinence education works," Albert said.
Albert said there is evidence that contraception use decreases teen births. But strict rules banning discussion of contraception in a classroom setting are preventing widespread education, he said.
And there may be still other factors at play here. Albert pointed to statistics from 2007 that show fertility among women is at a 35-year high.
"It may be that the explanation is not just teen-centric," he said. "It may be something in the water for all we know."
Contact writer Justin D. Anderson at jus...@dailymail.com or 348-4843.
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