Credit: Metro File Photo
Teen pregnancy rates in the city dropped 30 percent from 2001 to a new low in 2011, the Health Department reported Wednesday.
Data showed a steady decrease from 98.7 to 69.2 pregnancies per 1,000 females between 2001 and 2011.
Although teen pregnancies fell in every borough, the data found that Bronx had the highest rate of 95.9 per 1,000 females. More than 17,000 teens get pregnant every year, with most cases among 18- to 19-year-olds, the city said.
The city’s efforts to reduce teen pregnancy include the health service app Teens in NYC – Protection +, support groups such as Bronx Teens Connection and the mayor’s Young Men Initiative, and, launched this March, a prevention ad campaign.
“Not having sex is the surest way to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections,” Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said. “But for teens who are having sex, it is important to use birth control and condoms to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.”
