Latinas pregnancy rates outpace other ethnic groups

Yvonne Wingett and Amanda J. Crawford
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 6, 2007 12:00 AM

Even as teen pregnancy rates have declined in Arizona and across the country over the past decade, the teen pregnancy rate among Latinas remains high.

The Latina pregnancy rate has gone down slightly in recent years, but not as significantly as the rate among Anglos. That has left a growing divide, especially as the Hispanic population has soared. In 2005, more Latina teens got pregnant than all other racial and ethnic groups combined, according to a new report from the state Department of Health Services.

Latina teens are 3 1/2 times more likely than Anglo teens to become pregnant in Arizona and are about one-third more likely to get pregnant than Hispanics nationwide.

"We still have 14,000 kids who are parents, who really aren't ready to be parents, and that affects their lives and their children's lives," said Sue Gerard, director of the state health department. "We need to do more to prevent this from occurring and specifically in the Hispanic community."

More than 7,700 Arizona Latinas 10 to 19 years old got pregnant in 2005, up from 5,900 a decade ago. Latinas make up about one-third of all females 10 to 19 but account for 56 percent of all pregnancies among that age group.