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Teen Pregnancy Rates Could Start to Increase: Report

A report by National Center for Health Statistics in the US has revealed that teen pregnancy rates could start to increase after being steady for several years.

A report by National Center for Health Statistics in the US has revealed that teen pregnancy rates could start to increase after being steady for several years.

The government report revealed teen pregnancy rates increased from 21 births per 1,000 teenage girls in 2005 to 22 per 1,000 in 2006.

"It's only one year. And it might be, to use a very technical term, a blip in the data," said Edward J. Sondik, PhD, director of the National Center for Health Statistics. "We feel strongly that it bears watching."

The report also said the number of underweight babies in the US also increased to 8.3% in 2006 from 8.2% in 2005. "This trend reflects an increase in the number of infants born prematurely, the largest category of low-birth-weight infants," said Duane Alexander, MD, head of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Source-Medindia
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