Childbirth-Related Hospitalizations Among Adolescent Girls, 2004. Statistical Brief No. 31

摘要

Although the birth rate among adolescent girls has been steadily declining over the last decade, the United States continues to have the highest teen pregnancy and birth rates in the industrialized world. In 2004, childbearing among adolescent girls in the U.S. cost taxpayers an estimated $9.1 billion. Teen pregnancy and childbearing are also associated with inadequate prenatal care, preterm deliveries, and low infant birth weight. This Statistical Brief presents data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) on the general characteristics of childbirth-related hospitalizations among adolescent girls in 2004. The brief describes the patterns of hospitalization, including delivery method and mean length of stay, for adolescent girls less than 18 years of age compared with women 18 years and older. Regional and payer differences are also examined. Unless otherwise noted, all differences between estimates noted in the text are statistically significant at the 0.05 level or better.