Underage birthrate drops locally

Births of teen Latinas on the rise in county

BY TERRY FLORES tflores@kenoshanews.com 

    Births to girls under the age of 18 in Kenosha County dropped 7 percent in 2008, compared with a year ago when the county recorded the highest number of teen births since 2000.

    Births to minors dropped from 84 in 2007 to 78 last year, according to a report released earlier this month by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Family services.

    A big reason for the drop in teen births comes as fewer black and white girls had babies last year, according to the new data.

    Last year, African-American teenagers gave birth to 20 babies compared with 27 in 2007, a 26 percent decline. White teenagers had 25 babies in 2008 compared to 32 in 2007, a decline of 22 percent.

    While births to teens decreased among blacks and whites, they have increased among Latinas.

    Births to Latinas under the age of 18 grew from 27 in 2007 to 32 in 2008, a 19 percent increase.

    Gary Brown, executive director for Kenosha Area Family and Aging Services Inc., said while the data has shown teen births decreasing steadily since the mid-1990s, births to Hispanic teens have been on the rise.

    In 2005, Latinas under 18 gave birth to eight babies, but that number has continued to increase in three successive years. In 2006, 2007 and 2008 Hispanic births grew to 18, 27 and 32, respectively

    “I think we have to ask the question, well, down the road what does this mean if this trend continues with Hispanic girls? What does the community do?” said Brown.

    For his agency it would mean hiring an additional bilingual staff member to work within the Latino community to promote outreach for teen pregnancy prevention, he said.

    “I think the thing that’s got my attention is how the births for white, non-Hispanics has been steadily dropping,” he said.

    In 1995, white teens gave birth to 59 babies, a number that been cut by more than half, Brown said.

    From a statical standpoint it may mean further separating data to fully analyze where the needs should be met in the community, according to Brown. The data in the past has included Hispanics as whites because Hispanic references ethnicity and not race. Hispanics can be of any race, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

    The downward trend in teen births among white and black girls over the last 15 to 16 years is a testament to a myriad of programs and initiatives undertaken at many levels in the community, he said.

    Back in the 1990s, births began to drop as a result of education about prevention of AIDS and HIV infections. The welfare reform in the late 1980s with Wisconsin Works also correlates with fewer births to teens.

    “When you’re talking about reducing teen pregnancy, one of the biggest impacts has been the fear of AIDS,” he said. “A lot of kids became very aware of it. Here W-2, especially locally, has also had an impact.”

    Among African-American teens, programs in the community from the Boys and Girls Club to empowerment groups and clubs in Kenosha Unified have also worked to stem the tide of pregnancies.

    Over the years, a partnership between Reuther High School’s infant lab and his agency has worked to prevent second pregnancies among teens.

    “At our agency we’ve made connections with the African-American girls who don’t have much support and they’ve been usually more receptive to our services,” he said.