The Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics reports that across the nation, birth rates among women 15-19 years old have declined by more than 61 percent since 1991. Alaska’s rate in that same age group declined by 35 percent between 2008 to 2014.
Dr. Katie Reilly is the Adolescent Health Project Coordinator with the Alaska Department of Social Services Women’s, Children’s and Family …
Dr. Reilly: “To calculate that number we took the number of live births by females living in Alaska between the ages of 15 and 19 reported by the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics so from birth certificate data, and divided that by the number of females living in Alaska between the ages of 15-19 reported by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.”
She says the decline is great news since Alaska saw a spike in teen pregnancies between 2005 and 2008.
The Kenai Peninsula is included in the Gulf Coast Region, which the Bureau reported saw a slight decline in teen pregnancies between the years of 2008-2014.
The Center for Disease Control reports that more community sexual education programs, as well as increasing popularity of long-acting reversible contraception for sexually active teens has helped with the reduction in pregnancies.
The Bureau recommends that teenagers engage in open conversations about sex, abstinence, or contraceptives with trusted adults such as parents, caregivers, or health care providers.