Teen birth rate falling

California’s teen birth rate continues to trend downward across all racial and ethnic groups, a recent report from the California Department of Public Health indicates.

The 2012 rate declined 8 percent compared to the previous year, to an all-time low of 25.7 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19, according to a CDPH press release. Hispanics continue to have the highest rate of teen births at 38.9 births per 1,000, but had the greatest decline since 2000, when the rate was 77.3. Since 2000, the teen birth rate decreased from 59.1 to 30.8 among blacks, 22.3 to 10.2 among whites, and 15 to 5 among Asians.

Delaying childbearing until adulthood can improve health outcomes for both mother and infant, the release noted, and can provide more career and education opportunities for young women.