CARE Womens Health Publishes on Adolescent Birth Rates

Sylvester Orimaye, Research Associate with the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health’s Center for Applied Research & Evaluation in Women’s Health, has authored an article in the American Journal of Public Health.  The article, “Adolescent Birth Rates and Rural–Urban Differences by Levels of Deprivation and Health Professional Shortage Areas in the United States, 2017–2018,”   examines birth rates of females aged 15 to 19 in rural and urban counties of the United States.

Nathan Hale. Edward Leinaar, Michael Smith, and Amal Khoury, all with CARE Women’s Health, are co-authors.

The research team analyzed available data on birth rates for females aged 15 to 19 years in the United States using the restricted-use natality files from the National Center for Health Statistics, American Community Survey 5-year population estimates, and the Area Health Resources Files. They found that rural counties had an additional 7.8 births per 1000 females aged 15 to 19 years) compared with urban counties. Counties with the highest deprivation had an additional 23.1 births per 1000 females aged 15 to 19 years compared with less deprived counties. Rural counties with whole shortage designation had an additional 8.3 births per 1000 females aged 15 to 19 years compared with their urban counterparts.

The team concluded rural communities across deprivation and HPSA categories showed disproportionately high adolescent birth rates. Future research should examine the extent to which contraceptive access differs among deprived and designated Health Professional Shortage Areas rural communities and the impact of policies that may create barriers for rural communities.

CARE Women’s Health’s mission is to advance women’s health and well-being in the US South and beyond through applied, inter professional research and evaluation aimed at informing policy and practice.  The center helps women and families empowered to make informed choices, achieve their full health potential, and lead healthy lives.