Data released by the California Department of Public Health show there were 29 births for every 1,000 teenage girls in the state in 2010. That’s down from 32 births in 2009.
But there were big differences among and between ethnic groups. Hispanic teens continue to have the highest birth rate, at 45 per 1,000. In African Americans it’s 34, in Asian and Pacific Islander teens, it’s seven and in whites it’s eleven per 1,000. Laurie Weaver is with the Office of Family Planning at the California Department of Public Health. She says there’s a possible explanation for that. “I do believe there are some disparities relating to access to health care and access to information about birth control.”
Weaver says cultural differences may also be a factor. Teen birth rates have been declining in California since 1991 when the rate was nearly 71 births per 1,000 teenage girls.
