teen pregnancy

A study in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report last week reported that the birth rate for US teens aged 15-19 declined by 41% nationwide from 2006 to 2014. Disparities in teen birth rates also narrowed, with the birth ratio for Hispanic teens to white teens dropping from 2.9 to 2.2, and for black teens declining from 2.3 to 2.0. Because teen childbearing comes with a greater risk of negative health and economic consequences for mothers and children, this is good news for public health. But the persistence of disparities -- by geography as well as by race and ethnicity -- is still of…
A few of the recent pieces I've liked: Jennifer Brown and Christopher N. Osher in the Denver Post: Prescription Kids (a six-part investigative series on the extensive prescribing of psychotropic drugs to Colorado foster children; via Reporting on Health) Lydia DePillis at Washington Post's Wonkblog: The U.S. still spends way more on teen pregnancy than family planning David Moberg at In These Times: Meet the 'Missing' Workers ("More than 5 million Americans have given up hope of a job. Who are they?") William Laurance at Yale Environment 360: Will Increased Food Production Devour Tropical…