The CDC announced recently that the birth rate for adolescents under age 20 rose again in 2007, from 41.9 per 1,000 live births in 2006 to 42.5 in 2007. This represents a 1 percent rise. It is the second straight year the rate has increased. Before 2006, the teen birth rate had been declining for 14 years. Milwaukee had mixed results in 2007.
The teen birth rate in Milwaukee had also been declining since 1991 and continued its decline in 2006. In 2007, however, it rose by 1.5%, from 163.7/1000 live births in 2006 to 166.1/1000. This rise reflected an increase in only the rate for women 18-19 years old. The rate for teens under 18 years actually declined in 2007 by 1.8%.
In 2008, the Center did an in-depth analysis of Milwaukee teen birth data with the City of Milwaukee Health Department in order to determine a realistic goal for reducing the teen birth rate. The Center is also working with the United Way of Greater Milwaukee in their nationally recognized efforts to reduce teen pregnancy in Milwaukee. A major goal of this project is to evaluate the impact of the programming going on across the city by examining changes in teen participants' knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors around teen pregnancy. The Center's Design, Analysis and Evaluation team assisted the United Way by developed a single data collection instrument that could be used to collect data across various community-level programs and efforts.
