Contact:
Joy Bayley

407-723-5151

joy.bayley@flhealth.gov

ORLANDO, FL – May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month and the Florida Department of Health in Orange County wants to make the public aware of the impacts of unintended teen pregnancy.  In addition, this annual focus on preventing teen pregnancy is an opportunity to encourage parents to start conversations with their teens to make wise decisions and connecting youth to services that assist to ensure positive outcomes.

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, there have been historic declines in rates of teen pregnancy and births in the United States. Almost 172,000 babies were born to young women between the ages of 15 and 19 in the United States in 2019. That same year, Orange County births to teens ages 13-19 totaled 608 births and the state of Florida had 9,644 births¹. The prior year, there were 634 births in Orange County to teens between 15-19 years of age¹.

When compared to other states, Florida ranks 24^th in teen birth pregnancy rates behind the state of Montana with a 16.2 per 1,000 girls according to Power to Decide, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that campaigns to prevent unplanned pregnancy.

For information on ways to encourage their teens to make wise decisions to prevent teen pregnancy, contact the Department’s Family Planning and Prenatal program at 407-858-1487.  The program provides services for low income clients throughout Orange County. In addition, here is a website with resources for parents: https://powertodecide.org.  

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.