Merced County teen birth rate falls, but still among state’s highest

California teen birth rates have declined to record-low levels, and while the central San Joaquin Valley continues to have higher rates, Merced County is trending lower than many other Valley counties.

In a report released last week, state officials cited programs aimed at preventing pregnancy and no-cost family services for a low teen birth rate of 20.8 per 1,000 teen girls in 2014.

Valley teen rates remain stubbornly high: 39.1 per 1,000 in Fresno; 38.9 in Kings County; 43 in Madera County; 43.7 in Tulare; and 45.1 in Kern County.

Merced County’s rate came in at 36.2 per 1,000 girls for ages 15 to 19. In Stanislaus County, the rate was 30.2.

“It’s an access-to-care issue, hands down,” said Emily Bernard, director of Before and After Baby in Merced. “We are a very poor county, economically speaking, and we don’t have enough providers, whether it be for birth control or birth.”

The state adolescent birth rate has declined 10 percent from 2013 and the decline has been 55 percent from the 2000 rate of 46.7, according to the California Department of Public Health. The birth rate is based on births per 1,000 adolescents ages 15 to 19.

The birth rate also declined for all racial and ethnic groups. Among California Hispanics, the rate declined from 77.3 in 2000 to 31.3; among blacks, it fell from 59.1 to 24.6; among whites, from 22.3 to 8.4; and among Asians, from 15.0 to 3.7.

Pedro Elias, regional director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood, said compared with other counties in the state, there are higher teen birth rates in rural areas, such as Merced and other places in the Valley.

“It’s challenging for folks to get from point A to point B,” Elias said. “We’re significantly different in comparison to places like the Bay Area or Los Angeles.”

Travel issues arise, according to Bernard, when teenagers are trying to seek birth control or learn more about contraceptives, especially when they won’t or can’t talk about sexual education with their parents.

“If they’re not learning from their parents, they’re learning from any method out there, and that can be scary,” Bernard said.

California and county public health departments strive to reduce teen pregnancy and birth rates because studies show pregnant and mothering teens are less likely to finish high school and higher education.

And Valley counties have made strides in reducing teen births. For example, Merced County has reduced its rate from 39.1 in 2011-13 to 36.2 in 2012-14. The state aggregates county rates over three years.

Although Merced County has one of the lowest rankings in the Central Valley, it’s ranked eighth highest statewide for teen pregnancy.

“I think it’s a symptom of the larger issue with health care providers,” Bernard said. “Our clinics are completely overwhelmed.”

Fresno County has the sixth-highest rate in the state, and two counties – Tulare and Madera – rank third- and fourth-highest. Kings County is ranked seventh. Kern County had the highest rate in the state at 45.1. Marin County had the lowest rate at 7.0.

“It definitely remains a huge concern for our county that so many teen mothers are giving births to babies,” said Gilda Zarate-Gonzalez, deputy public health director of the Madera County Public Health Department.

The rates for Tulare and Madera counties are more than twice the state average, and officials said socio-economic factors – such as poverty, unemployment and educational attainment –are barriers to reducing the adolescent birth rate.

“If we don’t address all those socio-economic factors, we’re never really going to gain significant traction to dramatically reduce those numbers,” Zarate-Gonzalez said.

California is leading the nation in a decline in unintended pregnancy rates in youths, said Phyllida Burlingame, reproductive justice policy director at the American Civil Liberties Union in Northern California.

The state supports access to programs that provide contraceptives and comprehensive sexual education, Burlingame said. But the Valley is an area still in high need of reproductive health services for youths, she said.

“The lack of community resources makes it all the more important that young people be able to access quality, school-based sex education,” she added.

Planned Parenthood in Merced offers a peer prevention program, in which teens talk to other teens about their experiences going through things such as pregnancy and substance-abuse problems. Elias said these are effective methods for many teenagers because they are able to learn from one another.

“In order to continue to keep birth rates lower, we need education on prevention,” Elias said.

Parents are welcome to come to Planned Parenthood for advice in talking to their children about sexual education, Elias said, or bring their children in to learn more about it.

“We want to be a tool for parents around the community for answers or direction,” Elias said.

Alpha Pregnancy Help Center in Merced offers sexual-help services for women of all ages, as well, said Carrie Alexander, the center’s executive director. Pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and parenting classes are all available free of charge.

“I’m glad teen pregnancy is down,” Alexander said. “I hope we contribute to the positive outcome.”

A state law that started Jan. 1 requires school districts to provide “comprehensive, accurate and unbiased” sex education at least twice from grades seven to 12.

Dr. Karen Smith, California’s public health officer, said the state’s continued success in reducing births among adolescents is an excellent example of public health work.

“We can have a positive influence on the lives of young people when we empower them with knowledge, tools and resources to make healthy choices,” she said.

This story was originally published August 17, 2016 at 6:25 PM with the headline "Merced County teen birth rate falls, but still among state’s highest."