Teen pregnancy rate down in Chesterfield

Over the past decade, Chesterfield County has seen a precipitous drop in teen pregnancies, but it’s hard to say exactly why. In 2009, the most recent year with data available, the rate was 15.7 pregnancies per 1,000 females ages 10 to 19 years old. The 2000 rate was 22.5 pregnancies per 1,000 females in the same age group. That’s a 30 percent decrease.

“There’s no one specific thing that has led to the decrease of teen pregnancy,” says Dr. Parham Jaberi, director of the Chesterfield Health District. “There are multiple reasons why teen pregnancy occurs. We know that, for example, teenagers that use and abuse alcohol and drugs, who drop out of school, who do not have a good family support system [and] who live in impoverished areas all are more likely to become pregnant. Therefore, the remedy may be that we’re impacting each and every one of those factors.”

The teen pregnancy rate in Virginia decreased 22 percent between 2000 and 2009. The statewide rate in 2009 was 24.3 pregnancies per 1,000 females ages 10 to 19 years old – a good bit higher than Chesterfield. Teen mothers are at higher risk for postpartum depression, physical abuse and late entry into prenatal care, and they are more likely to drop out of school, remain unmarried and live in poverty than women who have children later, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Babies born to teenage mothers are more likely to have low birth weights, which is a contributing factor to infant mortality.

Virginia also reported an 8 percent decrease in premature births (36 weeks or earlier) over the last five years. While Jaberi could not provide local numbers for premature births over the past decade, he presumes that the county also saw a drop in premature births.

“If you can target and reduce teenage pregnancy, you’re also reducing premature births,” he says. “Historically the rate for preterm births in Virginia tracks lower than the national average, and Chesterfield tracks lower than Virginia. It’s very likely that we’ve seen a similar decrease in preterm births.”

The Chesterfield Health District stresses education to prevent teen pregnancy and preterm births. Health professionals disseminate information on healthy living habits – eating right, avoiding sexual behaviors at an early age and taking vitamins – to young women who show up for family planning and other services. Teens are also able to visit walk-in clinics at the Chesterfield Health District – an anomaly in this age of slashed budgets. Education also takes place in Chesterfield County Public Schools.

“A large part of what’s unique to Chesterfield County is that the school nurses actually work in the health department,” explains Jaberi. “They serve as a cadre of public health professionals in schools, providing public health education. That makes a significant impact.”

While Jaberi couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason for the decline in teen pregnancies, he emphasized the collaborative effort between the health district, hospitals and individual providers to educate young women on healthy living, as well as community-wide efforts to tackle social issues facing teens.

“I feel on a day-to-day basis the health department and our community organizations are targeting each of those risk factors, and cumulatively, we’re seeing a significant decline,” he says. “It takes all of us to address this.”