Repeat Births to Teenagers Carry High Individual and Societal Costs

The Alan Guttmacher Institute: News Release

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Susan Tew/Chris Kirchgaessner
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 22, 2000

REPEAT BIRTHS TO TEENAGERS CARRY
HIGH INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETAL COSTS
Yet Investment in Secondary Prevention Remains Minimal

Although the U.S. teenage birthrate has fallen dramatically (18%) from its peak in 1991 to an all-time low level, and the rate of second births to teenagers has fallen by a full 21% during this period, repeat births still represent more than one in five births to teenagers each year (or about 110,000 births in 1998). Yet the federal investment in services designed to help pregnant and parenting teenagers avoid a subsequent pregnancy remains minimal, according to a new report, "Reviving Interest in Policies and Programs to Help Teens Prevent Repeat Births," by Senior Public Policy Analyst Cynthia Dailard of The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI). The analysis, published in the June 2000 issue of AGI's The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy, highlights some promising approaches to help teenage mothers delay second births and become self-sufficient. Author Dailard notes that a review of programs for teenage mothers "highlights the fact that only those that adopt an overall health focus-and that have a strong family planning component-are successful in reducing repeat pregnancy rates." Accordingly, Dailard calls for a reappraisal of current teenage pregnancy prevention priorities and points to a promising legislative effort to reinvigorate federal "secondary prevention" policy.

MILLIONS OF UNINSURED TEENAGERS COULD BENEFIT
FROM CHIP COVERAGE OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE
Government's Progressive Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Approach
Appears in Sharp Contrast to U.S. Government Approach

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), enacted in 1997, has the potential to help nearly three million uninsured teenagers each year meet their reproductive health needs through the coverage of preventive health care, such as family planning services and supplies. The extent to which CHIP meets this potential hinges upon the benefits packages individual states design, according to the analysis "Adolescent Care Standards Provide Guidance for State CHIP Programs," by AGI Assistant Director for Policy Analysis Rachel B. Gold. The analysis examines a range of teenagers' reproductive health needs. It also provides information on widely accepted guidelines of preventive health care for teenagers that have been developed by three major health organizations-the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association and the Department of Health and Human Services-which could assist states in making critical coverage decisions. The guidelines call for routine preventive service visits, cancer screening and screening for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as health guidance on sexual development and responsible sexual behavior and decision-making.

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The Alan Guttmacher Institute is a nonprofit organization focused on reproductive health research, policy analysis and public education, with offices in New York City and Washington, D.C.

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