National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month

May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, and CDC recently released a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), “Reduced Disparities in Birth Rates Among Teens Aged 15–19 Years — United States, 2006–2007 and 2013–2014.”

The report highlights that teen birth rates have fallen nearly 50 percent among Hispanic and black teens, dropping the national teen birth rate to an all-time low. While dramatic declines among Hispanic and black teens have helped reduce racial/ethnic gaps, birth rates remain twice as high for these teens nationally compared to white teens, and more than three times as high in some states. Data also highlight the role socioeconomic conditions play, finding that higher unemployment and lower income and education are more common in communities with the highest teen birth rates, regardless of race. Learn more aboutreducing disparities in teen births.

Join us for a webinar: Reducing Disparities in Teen Birth Rates: A National Snapshot from CDC and Examples from the Field. May 19, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET.

During this one-hour webinar, CDC will highlight the findings from the recently released MMWR on reductions in teen birth rates and persistent disparities. Program partners in North Carolina and South Carolina will describe their efforts to address the social determinants of health through the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH)/CDC Teen Pregnancy Prevention Community-Wide Initiative (2010-2015) that may have contributed to narrowing of differences in birth rates between white and black teens in the targeted communities in their states. A Q&A session will follow the presentations.

Speakers include:

Wanda Barfield, MD, MPH, Director of the Division of Reproductive Health at CDC

Evelyn Kappeler, Director at the Office of Adolescent Health

Lisa Romero, DrPH, MPH, Health Scientist in the Division of Reproductive Health at CDC

Joy Sotolongo, MS, Evaluator with Sexual Health Initiatives for Teens North Carolina (SHIFT NC)

Beth DeHart, MA, Program Manager with the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month Twitter Chat

Teen pregnancy and birth rates are at historic lows but there is still more work to be done—join CDC and the HHS Office of Adolescent Health and chat partner The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy on Friday, May 6 at Noon ET for a 60-minute Twitter chat. Share and get great ideas about how you can support National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month. Follow the conversation and participate using #NTPPM.