Report Finds Mass. Teen Birth Rate At Its Lowest
BOSTON (CBS) -- A new report released Friday by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health suggests the state's teen birth rate is the lowest ever been.
The report found the birth rate among 15 to 19-year-olds was 14 percent lower in 2013 compared to the previous year. The rate was lower across all racial and ethnic groups.
"This is terrific news for all Massachusetts families, and a dramatic indication that our decisions to invest in our young people – through education, support and resources – can have a real and lasting impact on their lives and in their communities," Governor Deval Patrick said in a public statement.
The findings were published in the 2013 Massachusetts Birth Report, which looked into pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum issues among the state's women of childbearing age.
The report also found that more than half of all mothers in Massachusetts had a normal body mas index prior to becoming pregnant. It also found a 4 percent lower rate in cesarean deliveries in 2013 compared to the rest of the United States.
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