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Teen Birth Rates Higher In Rural Nebraska Counties

06/19/2015

Nebraska Radio Network)-- The teen birth rate in rural counties is one-third higher than in urban counties, according to a study from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Katherine Jarvis, coordinator for the Omaha-based Nebraska Children’s Home Society, says they're seeing high percentages of teen moms aged 17 and younger, and she uses Madison County in northeast Nebraska as an example. In 2012, 4.4 percent of the babies born were to mothers 17 or younger, while the state rate was 1.8 percent.

Some possible reasons for the higher numbers in rural counties may include: fewer recreation options, more poverty, reduced access to doctors and clinics, and lower college enrollment.

While the overall teen birth rates have been falling in both rural and urban areas, the rate of decrease is much slower in rural counties. Fifty-five percent of teens surveyed in rural America said they'd had sex, compared to 40 percent in metro counties, with many never having used any form of birth control.

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