Study: Canada’s teen pregnancy rates falling rapidly

May 26, 2010 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: News

A new study indicates that among countries like the US, England and Sweden, Canada has seen the most progress in lowering teenage pregnancy rates.

Canada has one of the biggest declines in teenage pregnancy rates around, according to a recently published study by the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada.

The SIECC looked at the number of live births and abortions in the United States, England, Sweden and Canada from 1996 to 2006. Researchers found that teen pregnancy rates fell steadily every year in Canada, from 44.2 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 in 1996 to 27.9 in 2006. The 36.9 percent decline represents the biggest decline among the countries studied, with a 25 percent decline in the U.S., a 4.75 percent decline in England and Wales, and 19.1 percent drop in Sweden.

“What’s striking is that the magnitude of decline appears to be more significant in Canada,” lead study author Alex McKay told The Vancouver Sun. “Declining teen pregnancy rates for the country in general are indicative of better sexual and reproductive health among young women,” he added.

The team also found a similar decline in abortion rates in Canada, noting a 35.7 percent drop in teen abortions in Canada. The U.S. saw a 28.6 percent drop in teen abortions while England and Sweden saw a rise, 9.1 and 30 percent respectively. The researchers also noted that the birthrate still dropped in England and Sweden.

Speaking on the drop in birthrate but increase in abortion rate in Sweden, McKay told The Vancouver Sun: “Swedish researchers seem to explain that by saying that for young women in Sweden, abortion is considered to be a viable — but at the same time undesirable — way of dealing with teen pregnancy.”

The SIECC also notes that in Canada at least, the rate that 16- and 17-year-old teens participate in sex has remained steady over the decade, sitting near 50 percent.

“By and large, the Canadian teenager today is not more or less likely to be sexually active than the Canadian teenager from a decade ago,” McKay said. “But what is different is that the sexually active teenager today is more likely to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.”

A teen girl at Jarvis Collegiate in Toronto, interviewed by CBC News, seemed to agree, saying that girls are “smarter now, so they choose to use protection.”

“In my area, there’s a walk-in clinic. There’s people there to talk to if you have any questions about birth control and stuff like that,” another girl at the school said.