Teen Birthrate In USVI Sees 24 Percent Drop Between 2010-2015

Teenage birthrate in the U.S. Virgin Islands dropped by an impressive 24 percent from 2010 to 2015, according to data from the 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book, produced by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and based on information gathered from local agencies. The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, which publishes an annual data book with detailed local data called “Virgin Islands in the Data Book”,  will release a full report later this year.

The drop in teen birth rate in the territory is significant because of the consequences associated with teenage pregnancy, which ultimately winds up costing taxpayers millions of dollars.

Some consequences of teenage pregnancy include the following:

• Teenage births are associated with lower annual income for the mother. Eighty percent of teen mothers must rely on welfare at some point.
• Teenage mothers are more likely to drop out of school. Only about one-third of teen mothers obtain a high school diploma.
• Teenage pregnancies are associated with increased rates of alcohol abuse and substance abuse, lower educational level, and reduced earning potential in teen fathers.
• In the United States, the annual cost of teen pregnancies from lost tax revenues, public assistance, child health care, foster care and involvement with the criminal justice system is estimated to be about $7 billion

The percentage of low birthweight babies in the territory was 9.2 percent in 2015, a 2 percent increase over the same period, according to the data. The Consortium will have a full report on the local data once the Virgin Islands Data Book is made available.

On a national level, The Annie E. Casey Foundation is urging state and federal policymakers not to backtrack on gains made in improving health and well-being outcomes for children across the United States. These improvements are noted in the just-released 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book, which shows progress in several areas of child well-being, especially economic stability for children.

The data are also a call to action, and highlight the importance of maintaining targeted investments that help U.S. children live healthier lives, complete high school and better position them to contribute to the nation’s economy as adults, according to the foundation. Nationally, only 5 percent of children in the continental United States remain uninsured, a historic low, due to the combination of key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and expansions to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Correction: June 7, 2017

A previous version of this article stated that the VI Data Book would be released on June 13. However, June 13 is when the National data book will be released, while the VI version releases in August. We’ve updated the story to reflect the correct information.

Correction #2: June 7, 2017

Though the data citing the drop in birthrate in the territory, as seen in this story, will be identical in a local data book to be issued later this year by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, the data showing the 24 percent drop was published in the 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book. We’ve updated the story to reflect the correct information.