Almost one in five U.S. teen births is repeat birth
Nearly one in five teen births is a repeat birth, according to a study in the April 2 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Based on 2010 data, more than 365,000 teens ages 15-19 gave birth that year, and almost 67,000 of those were repeat teen births. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Vital Statistics System show repeat teen births dropped by more than 6 percent between 2007 and 2010. Still, they represented about 18 percent of births.
Repeat teen births were highest among American Indian and Alaska Native teens, at nearly 22 percent, followed by Hispanics at nearly 21 percent and blacks at about 20 percent. The number was about 15 percent for white teens.
“Evidence-based approaches are needed to reduce repeat teen childbearing,” the study said. “These include linking pregnant and parenting teens to home visiting and similar programs that address a broad range of needs, and offering postpartum contraception to teens, including long-acting methods of reversible contraception.”
USDA school produce program can boost kids’ intake
Students at elementary schools participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program consume 15 percent more fruits and vegetables, a recent study found.
Released by USDA in March, the study found fruit and vegetable consumption increased by a third of a cup among students participating in the program compared to students who did not participate. Fruit accounted for most of the change.
“These results are very encouraging,” said Kevin Concannon, MSW, agriculture undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services. “The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is clearly an excellent way to introduce students to more fruits and vegetables.”
Almost all students tried the fruit and vegetable snacks, the study found, and a majority ate most or all of the snacks provided. The study was conducted during the 2010-2011 school year.
The USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is administered by the Food and Nutrition Service and state departments of education. It started as a pilot project in 2002 and expanded nationwide in 2008 to provide free produce to students outside of regular school meals. Learn more at www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/ffvp.
Stressful life events may increase stillbirths
Financial, emotional or other personal stress in the year before a pregnant woman’s delivery increases her chances of having a stillbirth, according to a recent study.
The study, published online March 26 in the American Journal of Epidemiology, was based on research on more than 2,000 women who were asked a series of questions including whether they had lost a job or had a loved one in the hospital in the year before they gave birth. The study found 83 percent of women who had a stillbirth and 75 percent of those who had a live birth reported a stressful life event. But one in five women with stillbirth, compared to one in 10 women with a live birth, reported recently experiencing five or more stressful life events.
Black women were more likely to report experiencing stressful life events than white and Hispanic women. The study found two stressful events increased a woman’s odds of stillbirth by about 40 percent. A woman experiencing five or more stressful events was nearly two and a half times more likely to have a stillbirth than a woman who had experienced none.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association