Teen Births So Low in Plymouth Township They Can't Be Measured

PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, MI – Teen births were so low in Plymouth Township from 2011-2013, they couldn’t be measured in a recent Kids Count report showing the percentages of teen births in Michigan’s largest places.

The study, released by the Michigan League for Public Policy, said teen births were too low (less than 20 over the three years of the study) in three communities — Plymouth Township, East Lansing and Bloomfield Township — to calculate a reliable percentage of teen births.

The report showed Michigan’s overall teen birth rate of 24 births per 1,000 was below the national average of 27 teen births per 1,000 in 2013, and had dropped 40 percent from 1992-2013, from 13 percent in 1992 to 7 percent of all births in 2013.

Still, the report noted, American teens are more than twice as likely to have babies as teens in Canada, four times more likely than teens in Germany and Norway, and almost 10 times more likely than teens in Switzerland.

“We have far fewer babies born to teen moms today and we should be thrilled with this progress, but we must not slow our efforts,” Alicia Guevara Warren, Kids Count in Michigan Project Director at the Michigan League for Public Policy, said in a news release. “We still have too many babies born to teen moms — an average of almost 9,000 annually over the last three years — and that’s 9,000 babies who are more likely to live in poverty, struggle academically and suffer from health issues.”

Research shows that teen childbearing has a lifelong impact on both mother and child, along with the state’s economy. Most teen moms do not complete high school, live in poverty, and raise a child alone, making it more difficult to ensure that their children are ready and prepared for school.

Children living in poverty also are more susceptible to decreased health outcomes and are at higher risk for abuse and neglect. Michigan taxpayers also bear the cost of teen childbearing at approximately $283 million in 2010, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. On the positive side, the decline in teen births between 1991 and 2010 saved state taxpayers almost half a billion dollars in 2010 alone.

Teen pregnancy also disproportionately impacts low-income communities. Of the 69 major population centers in Michigan examined, those in wealthy suburban communities in Oakland, Ottawa and Macomb had the smallest percentages of teen births.

The communities with the largest percentages of teen births were concentrated in central cities in eight counties across Michigan’s lower half, including Battle Creek, Port Huron, Muskegon, Flint/Flint Township, Jackson, Pontiac, Saginaw, Detroit and Highland Park.

The report details a number of recommendations for policymakers, health-care providers, communities, schools, parents and caregivers to improve policy and practices, including:

Supporting funding for evidence-based, results-driven programming to prevent teen pregnancies.

• Targeting resources specifically for youth in foster care and the juvenile justice system, who have higher than average rates of pregnancy.
• Increasing the availability of birth control and ensuring access to affordable contraception.
• Expanding early childhood services, including home visitation programs.
• Promoting youth development programs and supporting programs for at-risk teens.

“There are so many ways that we as a state, community and family can effectively and economically reduce the chances of teen pregnancy and the negative consequences it brings to all of us, including the parents and children who bear the most of it,” Guevara-Warren said. “Teen pregnancy is preventable, and with continued and concentrated efforts, we should see even greater results in another 20 years.”

The communities with the lowest percentage of teen births from 2011-2013 were:

• Royal Oak: Eight teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 1 percent of all births.
• Troy: Nine teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 1 percent of all births.
• West Bloomfield Township: Seven teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 1 percent of all births.
• Ann Arbor: 14 teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 1 percent of all births.
• Rochester Hills: 11 teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 1 percent of all births.
• Novi: Nine teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 1 percent of all births.
• Farmington Hills: 14 teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 2 percent of all births.
• Macomb Township: 14 teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 2 percent of all births.
• Commerce Township: Nine teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 2 percent of all births.
• Orion Township: Seven teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 2 percent of all births.

The communities with the highest percentages of teen births during the period were:

• Battle Creek: 107 teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 12 percent of all births.
• Port Huron: 64 teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 14 percent of all births.
• Muskegon: 87 teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 14 percent of all births.
• Flint Township: 41 teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 14 percent of all births.
• Jackson: 89 teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 14 percent of all births.
• Pontiac: 157 teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 14 percent of all births.
• Saginaw: 136 teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 15 percent of all births.
• Detroit: 1,608 teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 16 percent of all births.
• Flint: 273 teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 16 percent of all births.
• Highland Park: 22 teen births were reported from 2011-2013, or 16 percent of all births.

» Photo by Frank de Kleine via Flickr / Creative Commons