Aug. 23--Erie teenagers are giving birth at the lowest rate in more than 20 years, turning around one of the city's most pressing public-health concerns.
A new study published Monday by the Erie County Department of Health showed that the city of Erie's teenage birthrate declined by almost 30 percent from 2007 to 2010.
The drop was even greater among Erie girls ages 15 to 17, falling almost 50 percent during those years.
"We are very encouraged. We've been working for years to turn the tide on teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases," said Brenda Newport, executive director of the Women's Care Center, which has worked with Erie County schools for more than 10 years to promote teen pregnancy prevention and STD education.
High birthrates among teenagers are a concern for several reasons, said Carla Smith, education division director for the Women's Care Center.
The babies are more prone to health problems, are more likely to live in poverty, and less likely to graduate high school.
"It has long-term implications for the baby, the parents, their families and the community," Smith said. "It has an impact on the community's poverty rate."
That's why Smith and other educators and teen-abstinence supporters were thrilled to learn the city's teen birthrate dropped to 53.1 births per 1,000 females in 2010 after hitting a recent high of 73.6 births in 2007.
However, it's still nearly double the Pennsylvania rate of 27.5 births.
The rate among Erie's 15- to 17-year-olds dropped from 63.1 births per 1,000 females in 2007 to 33.5 in 2010.
Erie County's rate climbed slightly among teens, from 29.9 births in 2009 to 33.1 in 2010, but the rate has declined by about one-third since the mid-1990s.
Carl Kallgren, a Penn State Behrend psychology professor and director of the Healthy Youth Development Program of Erie County, attributed the drop to new, evidenced-based abstinence and education programs being taught in schools and community centers.
"These are holistic programs that give kids a sense of hope, a sense of the future," Kallgren said.
But government funding to some of these programs has been cut.
Pregnancy-prevention classes have been cut in the Erie School District, and the Creating Healthy Active Members Planning to Succeed after-school program will be available to fewer than half of the students it was in 2010-11, said Lori Bland, the Erie School District's supervisor of C.H.A.M.P.S. and the student parenting program.
"I'm concerned because these programs taught kids more than just saying no," Bland said. "It's about character development."
Bland and Kallgren are also concerned these funding cuts will cause the teen birthrate to jump back up to previous levels.
"It seems that everything but basic education is being cut," Kallgren said. "This is important. If we can't find creative ways to keep high quality, effective programs in the schools, we will see an uptick in the birthrates."
DAVID BRUCE can be reached at 870-1736 or by e-mail.
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