TEEN PREGNANCY RATE COMPARISONS TO AZ
TEEN PREGNANCY RATE COMPARISONS TO AZ
Glendale Community College, Fall Semester 2010
Psychology 230
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TEEN PREGNANCY RATE COMPARISONS TO AZ
In the United States many teens are becoming pregnant during their adolescent years; the
rate of teen pregnancy is commonly defined as the count of adolescent females who delivered a
live infant, had an induced termination of pregnancy, or delivered a fetal death by the total
number of adolescent females in a population during a given year (ADHS, 2009). Teen
pregnancy has been a heavily studied topic of recent years, and the results have proven some
alarming facts. Nearly one-half (46%) of all 15 to 19-year-olds in the United States have had sex
at least once (Abma, 2004). A sexually active teen that does not use contraceptives has a 90%
chance of becoming pregnant within one year (Harlap, 1991). Studies have found that each year,
in the United States alone, almost 750,000 women between the ages of 15 and 19 become
pregnant. Overall, 71.5 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15-19 occurred in 2006; the rate
declined 41% from its peak in 1990 to a low of 69.5 in 2005 (Guttmacher, 2010). Eighty-two
percent of teen pregnancies are unplanned; they account for about one-fifth of all unintended
pregnancies annually (Finer, 2006). In 2008, the rate of teen pregnancy in Arizona was 31.6
pregnancies per 1,000 females age 19 years and younger (ADHS, 2009). Since 1999 the teen
pregnancy rate, in Arizona, for 15-19 year old teens has declined 26 percent; 85.7 to 63.2
pregnancies per 1,000 females (ADHS, 2009). Declining teen birth rates have significantly
improved overall child well-being in Arizona, all states, and the District of Columbia, according
to a new state-by-state analysis released by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
(Albert, 2005). Specifically, declines in the teen birth rate have played a major role in improving
child poverty in Arizona (Albert, 2005). The purpose of this study is to determine how the teen
pregnancy rate in Arizona compares to the United States average, utilizing the most current data
and research. I hypothesize that Arizona is significantly different in teen pregnancy rates when
compared to the teen pregnancy rate in the other forty-nine states.
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TEEN PREGNANCY RATE COMPARISONS TO AZ
The source of my data is the Online Version of the 50-State and National Comparisons of
Teen Pregnancy Rate from The National Campaign, which was last updated Jan. 2010. The Zscores were calculated for the number of teen pregnancies per 1,000 teens for each state. The
data was analyzed using both Microsoft Excel and SPSS. The alpha is .05 with a critical value of
+1.96 and -1.96.
The mean teen pregnancy rate in the United States (all 50 states) is 64.6 pregnancies per
1,000 teens with a standard deviation of 14.1464 (14.14637763). The descriptive statistics for
teen pregnancy rates are listed in Table 1 and Table 2. In Figure 1, the distribution is shows that
teen pregnancy in the United States is negatively skewed. Table 3 is showing the number of teen
pregnancies per every one-thousand teen girls and the z-scores for all fifty states in the US. My
analysis shows that the Arizona teen pregnancy rate is not significantly different than the
average pregnancy rate among other states in the US, however Arizona falls within the top 3
states of having the highest teen pregnancy rate, with a z-score of z = 1.72, p > 0.5.
Table 1: Descriptive Statistics
N
Minimum
Maximum
Mean
Std. Deviation
Statistic
Statistic
Statistic
Statistic
Statistic
TeenPregnancyRate
50
Valid N (listwise)
50
33
93
64.60
14.290
Skewness
Statistic
.016
Std. Error
.337
TEEN PREGNANCY RATE COMPARISONS TO AZ
Table 2: Statistics
TeenPregnancyRate
N
Valid
Missing
50
0
Mean
64.60
Std. Error of Mean
2.021
Median
62.50
Mode
Std. Deviation
62
14.290
Skewness
.016
Std. Error of Skewness
.337
Minimum
33
Maximum
93
Sum
Figure 1
3230
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TEEN PREGNANCY RATE COMPARISONS TO AZ
STATE
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Teen Pregnancy
Rate
73
61
89
80
75
69
57
83
77
80
71
55
67
62
51
60
66
70
43
65
49
60
43
85
63
z-score
0.593791585
-0.25448211
1.724823177
1.088617906
0.735170534
0.311033688
-0.53724001
1.30068633
0.876549483
1.088617906
0.452412636
-0.67861895
0.169654739
-0.18379263
-0.96137685
-0.32517158
0.098965264
0.381723162
-1.52689265
0.02827579
-1.1027558
-0.32517158
-1.52689265
1.442065279
-0.11310316
STATE
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhoda Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
MEAN
Population SD
N
Teen Pregnancy
Rate
56
50
90
33
68
93
77
76
45
62
76
57
53
62
79
51
79
88
47
40
61
59
62
47
65
64.6
14.14637763
50
z-score
-0.60792948
-1.032066327
1.795512651
-2.233787393
0.240344213
2.007581074
0.876549483
0.805860009
-1.385513699
-0.183792634
0.805860009
-0.537240006
-0.819997904
-0.183792634
1.017928432
-0.961376852
1.017928432
1.654133702
-1.24413475
-1.738961071
-0.254482108
-0.395861057
-0.183792634
-1.24413475
0.02827579
** = over the mean, significant finding
~~ = below the mean, significant finding
Table 3. Teen Pregnancy rate by state, compared to every 1,000 teens, source from Kost, 2010
~~
**
TEEN PREGNANCY RATE COMPARISONS TO AZ
The analysis of the statistics does not support my hypothesis; the teen pregnancy rates are
not significantly different in Arizona in comparison to the rest of the United States. There are
two states that are p < .05; New Mexico is significantly higher than the mean with a z-score of
2.0076, and New Hampshire was significantly lower than the mean with a z-score of -2.2338.
This data reveals that although Arizona does not show a significant difference among the average
teen pregnancy rates in the United States, it does show that Arizona is one of the top 3 states of
having the highest overall teen pregnancy rate. Analyzing the teen pregnancy rate across the
United States, the southern states have the highest overall pregnancy rates, while the northeastern states have the lowest overall pregnancy rates. The geographical locations may be
something to continue future research with to identify more specific causes as to why there is a
difference between the southern and northern states teen pregnancy rates. This study was a
simplistic-study on the basis of looking at the teen pregnancy rates in every state; I did not
consider race, ethnicity, geographical locations in the US, rich vs. poor, or educated vs. noneducated. The data results may vary when considering different populations and situations.
As stated previously, declining teen pregnancy rates and birth rates contribute to
improvements in child well-being in Arizona (and the US); specifically, declines in pregnancy
rates have played a major role in improving child poverty in Arizona (Albert, 2005). With
continued focus on the awareness and prevention on teen pregnancy, our future may continue to
see more declines in the teen pregnancy rates.
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TEEN PREGNANCY RATE COMPARISONS TO AZ
References
Abma JC et al., Teenagers in the United States: sexual activity, contraceptive use, and
childbearing, 2002, Vital and Health Statistics, 2004, series 23, No. 24
http://womensissues.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=womensissues&cdn=new
sissues&tm=8&gps=238_344_1111_855&f=00&tt=3&bt=1&bts=0&st=14&zu=http%3
A//www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_ATSRH.html%23n25
Albert, B. (2005). The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Declining Teen Birth
Rates Contribute to Improvements in Child Well-Being in Arizona. Retrieved from
http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/national.../Arizona_press_release_FINAL.pdf
Arizona Department of Health Services. (2009). Teen Pregnancy in Arizona [Data file].
Retrieved from http://www.azdhs.gov/404.htm
Finer LB et al., Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001,
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2006, 38 (2): 90-96
http://womensissues.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=womensissues&cdn=new
sissues&tm=8&gps=238_344_1111_855&f=00&tt=3&bt=1&bts=0&st=14&zu=http%3
A//www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_ATSRH.html%23n25
Guttmacher Institute, U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions: National and State
Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity, accessed Nov. 2010
http://womensissues.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=womensissues&cdn=new
sissues&tm=8&gps=238_344_1111_855&f=00&tt=3&bt=1&bts=0&st=14&zu=http%3
A//www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_ATSRH.html%23n25
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TEEN PREGNANCY RATE COMPARISONS TO AZ
References
Harlap S, Kost K and Forrest JD, Preventing Pregnancy, Protecting Health: A New Look at
Birth Control Choices in the United States, New York: AGl, 1991.
http://womensissues.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=womensissues&cdn=new
sissues&tm=8&gps=238_344_1111_855&f=00&tt=3&bt=1&bts=0&st=14&zu=http%3
A//www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_ATSRH.html%23n25
Kost, K., Henshaw, S., & Carlin, L. (2010). U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions:
National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity, 50-State and National
Comparisons. Retrieved from http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/state-data/statecomparisions.asp?id=3&sID=18
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