Iredell County's teenage pregnancy rate went down in 2008, even though more teenagers became pregnant.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services recently reported that 56.2 out of every 1,000 girls in Iredell County ages 15 to 19 became pregnant in 2008.
Some 318 teens were pregnant last year, up from 285 in 2007. North Carolina's teen pregnancy rate fell to a 30-year low in 2008, according to a news release from the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina.
The number of teenage pregnancies across the state dropped from 19,615 in 2007 to 19,398 in 2008.
Education is an important factor in deterring a pregnancy and helping teens once they are about to become parents, said Amanda Pierce, a health education specialist with the Iredell Health Department.
Once a teen is pregnant, she needs to know about prenatal care, nutrition and how to take care of herself, Pierce said.
According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teenage Pregnancy, more than 400 factors contribute to one or more sexual behaviors, such as the initiation of sex, frequency of sex, number of sexual partners, use of condoms, and use of other contraceptives or the consequences of those behaviors, such as pregnancy, childbearing or sexually transmitted diseases.
The Campaign identifies some of the factors contributing to teenage pregnancy as states, communities, families, friends and peers, romantic partners and the teens themselves.
"It's your relationships and the choices you make in those relationships," said Kelly Marcy, executive director of Student Services for Iredell-Statesville Schools.
In 2008, 253 teenagers in Iredell County residents gave birth, according to the N.C. Center for Health Statistics. Four of those teenagers were 14 years old, according to the report.
Marcy said I-SS utilizes "Choosing the Best," an abstinence-based curriculum that focuses on teaching seventh- and eighth- graders how to make good choices and develop healthy relationships.
Nurses are available for elementary school students to provide health education to developing girls.
Pierce said I-SS and the Mooresville Graded School District do a good job preparing students within the parameters that the two boards of education have given them.
The Health Department assists I-SS and MGSD by providing guest speakers to talk about abstinence and healthy relationships.
"Abstinence is the best message as far as safety goes," she said."We work within the schools as guest speakers to reinforce the schools' abstinence message. Our focus is on healthy relationship building, abstinence and health-focused decision making."
Pierce said the health department's involvement in local organizations that target teen success, which ultimately impacts sexual initiation and behavior, is one way to help teenagers. These organizations include Teen Health at the Boys & Girls Club, Success Helps All Kids Excel, and Appropriate Placement Options.
Other organizations, such as the Pregnancy Resource Center, can provide the necessary counseling and training young parents need, Pierce said. Sexually active teenagers also have access to the health department's family planning and sexually transmitted diseases clinic, which are both confidential and free to youth.
Pregnant teens who rely on the health department for their prenatal care will receive health services, education and maternal care coordination services, Pierce said. These services may continue past delivery based on need, Pierce said.
Total Pregnancies,
NORTH CAROLINA
15-19-year-olds Rate per1,000
2008 19,398 58.6
2007 19,615 63.0
2006 19,192 63.1
2005. 18,259 61.7
IREDELL
2008 318 56.2
2007 285 57.6
2006 270 56.4
2005 270 59.4
Source: N.C. Department of Health and Human Services
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