Background Check to promote trait awareness at the Delaware Adolescent Program (DAPI)

                                                                 Background Check

Sickle Cell Awareness in our Community

  The TOVA team was invited to the Delaware Adolescent Program (DAPI) last week for a Sickle Cell presentation called, 'Background Check'. Only 1 out of 10 girls knew their Sickle Cell Trait status or the status of their baby's father. One mother of her newborn child was identified as having the Sickle Cell Trait and she was of Hispanic descent. She was appreciative of the information and the information provided on the trait.  Overall, teen pregnancy rates are declining in the state of Delaware and nationally.  Support TOVAs' programs to increase awareness, quality care & research for Sickle Cell. Go to www.tovacommunityhealth.org for more information.
National Teen Pregnancy Statistics:
     In 2013, there were 26.5 births for every 1,000 adolescent females ages 15-19, or 273,105 babies born to females in this age group. Nearly eighty-nine percent of these births occurred outside of marriage. The 2013 teen birth rate indicates a  decline of ten percent from 2012 when the birth rate was 29.4 per 1,000. The teen birth rate has declined almost continuously over the past 20 years. In 1991, the U.S. teen birth rate was 61.8 births for every 1,000 adolescent females, compared with 26.5 births for every 1,000 adolescent females in 2013. Still, the U.S. teen birth rate is higher than that of many other developed countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom  (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (Office of Adolescent Health, http://www.hhs.gov).

    Non-Hispanic black youth, Hispanic/Latino youth, American Indian/Alaska Native youth, and socioeconomically disadvantaged youth of any race or ethnicity experience the highest rates of teen pregnancy and childbirth. Together, black and Hispanic teens comprised 57% of U.S. teen births in 2013 (CDC).
Delaware Statistics:
 In Delaware, DECLINING TEEN BIRTH RATE SHOWS MORE YOUTH ARE MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES.  Delaware's teen pregnancy and teen birth rates are at an all-time low, according to statistics from Delaware's Division of Public Health (DPH). During 2004-2008, the most recent rate available, Delaware's teen pregnancy rate for girls ages 15-19 was 65.1 per 1,000. The 2004-2008 teen birth rate for girls 15-19 was 43.1 per 1,000. Nationwide, teen pregnancy is at its lowest point in 70 years. (Delaware Department of Health & Human Services, 2011).

All the best,
Dr. Nina