California town finds fewer area teens are pregnant

Despite lower birth rates among teens, pregnancy among this age group still remains a problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 409,840 infants were born to individuals between ages 15 and 19 in 2009.

The San Luis Obispo, California Health Department recently announced that birth rates among 18 and 19 year old women have decreased by more than half from nearly 47 births per 1,000 teens in 2008 to 23 in 2009, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports.

However, officials told the news source that birth rates among females between ages 15 to 17 have increased from 8.6 births per 1,000 teens in 2008 to 9.5 in 2009.

Pregnancy during adolescence can hinder development and may hurt the girls' chances of becoming productive members of society. Officials said that such individuals are more likely to live in poverty than their nonpregnant counterparts and to use welfare benefits.

As for their children, they are more likely to die soon after birth, have a low weight and fall victim to sudden infant death syndrome. Furthermore, they are at greater risk of child abuse, neglect as well as behavioral and education problems.