COLUMBIA -- Following 14 years of declines in teen pregnancy rates, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has reported an increase in the number of pregnancies to teens of all races in South Carolina.

According to the 2006 statistics, 10,604 girls in South Carolina ages 10 to 19 became pregnant. Since 2004, the rate of teen pregnancy in South Carolina increased from 33.1 per 1,000 to 35.9 per 1,000, or 8 percent; the number of teen pregnancies also increased from 9,543 to 10,604, or 11 percent.

Although teen pregnancy rates in South Carolina declined by 19 percent between 1994 and 2006, the progress made appears to have stalled, and positive trends from the past decade are beginning to reverse.

"As with many public health issues, our efforts to prevent teen pregnancy became somewhat complacent when data improved," said Forrest L. Alton, executive director of the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. "The S.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has remained adamant about a proactive and solution-focused approach to positive youth development and teen pregnancy prevention. This is certainly no time for us to become complacent about such a serious issue."

Locally, Bamberg County ranked fourth in the state in 2006 for number of teen pregnancies, with a rate of 51.1 per 1,000. During that same time period, Orangeburg County ranked 14th, with a rate of 42.9 per 1,000, and Calhoun County ranked 38th, with a rate of 32.1 per 1,000. Bamberg had 62 teen pregnancies in 2006. During that same time period, Orangeburg had 304 teen pregnancies, and Calhoun had 32 teen pregnancies.

Additionally, the report concluded that:

* The counties with the highest number of teen pregnancies in 2006 were Greenville (938), Richland (793), Charleston (738), Spartanburg (700) and Horry (509).

* The counties with the highest rate (per 1,000) of teen pregnancy in 2006 were Allendale (62), Chester (53.9), Marion (51.5), Bamberg (51.1) and Dillon (50.3).

* Nearly two-thirds of all teen pregnancies in South Carolina in 2006 were to 18- to 19-year-olds.

* Of the 10,604 teen pregnancies in 2006, 27 percent were repeat teen pregnancies.

* The progress South Carolina made in reducing teen childbearing between 1991 and 2004 saved taxpayers an estimated $92 million in 2004 alone.

South Carolina is beginning to see alarming trends for the state of its youth, and teen pregnancy is not the only issue of concern. Officials have noted that health indicators across the board are starting to decline, and state trends are worsening for child well-being issues such as infant mortality and remain disturbing for others such as children living in poverty, according to a Kids Count report released earlier this year.

"In order for South Carolina to thrive, we need to lower teen pregnancy rates, as this issue is critically linked to a host of other social issues including drop-out rates, incarcerated youth and poverty," Alton said. "As a community, we must all recommit ourselves to the young people of our state, continue to fund programs that have proven effective and eliminate those that do not work."

Officials at DHEC see an increase in teen pregnancy as a setback for South Carolina.

"The costs of teen pregnancy are far greater than the expenses incurred at the time of the delivery of the baby," said Janet Sheridan, DHEC's director of family planning services.

The costs of teen pregnancy include a likelihood that the teen mother will end up on Medicaid, decreased earning potential for the teen mother, myriad health issues for the baby and economic consequences that extend to South Carolina's taxpayers. It is estimated that the consequences of not investing in teen pregnancy prevention cost the state's taxpayers $156 million in 2004 alone.

"Since 2001, the reduction in funding for the family planning program totals approximately $14 million," Sheridan said. "Staffing is down by hundreds of nurses, social workers and health educators, and over 30 DHEC family planning clinics across the state have been closed."

Officials from the S.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy point to reductions in teen pregnancy rates throughout the 1990s as reason to remain optimistic.

"Teen pregnancy is preventable, but not without a sustained commitment and investment in our state's youth," Alton said. "Each of us -- policy makers, educators, providers, community members and caring adults -- must refocus and intensify our efforts to prevent teen pregnancy in South Carolina. It's imperative that we continue to invest in programs that research has shown to be effective and programs that are inclusive of the needs of all young people."

The mission of the S.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is to prevent adolescent pregnancy in South Carolina through education, technical assistance, advocacy, public awareness and research. To achieve its mission, the campaign works with a variety of programs -- public, private, school and community-based -- in each of the state's 46 counties.

For more information, visit www.teenpregnancysc.org.

Special to The T&D

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