The Arizona Department of Health reports a 10 percent drop in teen pregnancy from 2012 to 2013. Assistant Director of Public Health Prevention Services Sheila Sjolander said experts can’t pinpoint the reasons for the drop.
“Teen pregnancy is a very complicated subject so it’s impacted by lots of social factors, from the economy to cultural norms,” she said.
The decrease this year is part of a continuing trend. According to the federal government, Arizona has the 12th highest teen pregnancy rate in the country, but 2013 marks a 30-year low for teen pregnancy rates in Arizona.
“I think there is every indication that the rates will continue to decline,” Sjolander said. “When you have this trend over this length of time, the greatest hope is that it’s a shift in cultural norms.”
The repeat birth rates for teenagers who already have one child have also decreased by 21 percent in the last 12 years.
While the teen birth rates decreased, the share of births paid for by the state’s Medicaid program increased. In 2013, 84 percent of teen births were paid for by Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System.
