In 2013, the US saw a record low for teenage birth rates. There was a 10% drop for girls age 15-19 with a live birth rate of 26.5 per 1,000 women in this age group. Over the past 20 years the US has seen a steady decrease in rates of teenage pregnancy. Despite this, the U.S. teen pregnancy rate is substantially higher than in other western industrialized nations, a situation which is compounded by substantial disparities in pregnancy rates among different racial groups in the US with black and hispanic teen birth rates more than two times higher and American Indian one and a half times higher than the white birth rate (6). Teenage pregnancy is a concern because teen moms are a unique group that face many challenges and having a child early
