The teen birth rate in the U.S. reached a record low in 2005, and condom use among high school students increased, according to a report released on Friday by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, the Washington Post reports (Kaufman, Washington Post, 7/13). The report, titled "America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2007," was compiled from data and studies at 22 federal agencies and addressed 38 key indicators, the AP/USA Today reports.

According to the report, the birth rate among girls ages 15 to 17 declined from 39 births per 1,000 girls in 1991 to 21 births per 1,000 girls in 2005 (Kerr, AP/USA Today, 7/13). In 2005, the birth rate per 1,000 girls in this age group was 12 for non-Hispanic whites, 35 for non-Hispanic blacks, and 48 for Hispanics (Federal Interagency Forum release, 7/13).

According to the report, 47% of high school students, or 6.7 million, reported having had sexual intercourse in 2005, compared with 54% in 1991. The rate of high school students reporting having sex has remained unchanged since 2003, according to the AP/USA Today. Sixty-three percent of those who reported having sex during a three-month period in 2005 said they used condoms, compared with 46% in 1991, the report showed (AP/USA Today, 7/13). The report also found that the percentage of girls who said they used birth control remained stable. In addition, births among unmarried women in their 20s increased significantly, and the birth rate for unmarried women increased, the Post reports (Washington Post, 7/13).

Reaction
"The implications for the population are quite positive in terms of their health and their well-being," Edward Sondik, director of CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, said, adding, "The lower figure on teens having sex means the risk of sexually transmitted diseases is lower." James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, said, "I think the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the efforts in the '80s and '90s had a lot to do with" reducing teen sex and adolescent births and increasing condom use. He added, "We need to encourage young teens to delay sexual initiation, and we need to make sure they get all the information they need about condoms and birth control" (AP/USA Today, 7/13).

The report is available online.