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—Estella Geraghty and Kristana Erikson, University of California, Davis
The Healthy Youth/Healthy Regions initiative is a funded project in the 9-county Sacramento region aimed at assessing the elements that most influence youth well-being, analyzing their interactions, and reviewing variation in communities. As part of this project we review the issue of teen pregnancy, which not only puts an individual adolescent girl’s reproductive health at risk, but also poses a threat to long term community health. According to National Vital Statistics records there was a dramatic drop in teen birth rates in the U.S. from 1991 to 2005. Then, unexpectedly, teen births rose in 2006 and 2007. Using data from 1989 to 2007 we leveraged GIS to document the teen birth problem over time and space. We also sought to understand the geographic and environmental determinants of risk. Results of this work are intended to support strategic efforts to reduce youth disparities and improve youth well-being in the region.