Study: Second or subsequent births to teenagers

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Teenage girls were far less likely to have two or more children in 2003 than they were a decade earlier, according to an article based on vital statistics data in the latest edition of Health Reports.

Even so, between 1993 and 2003, an estimated 25,000 teenage moms gave birth to their second or subsequent child.

The study showed that during this decade, the rate of teen moms who had two or more children fell by one-half.

In 1993, of every 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19 who had already had a child in 1993, 4.8 girls had a second or subsequent birth. By 2003, this rate was down to 2.4.

Looking at it another way, 18.5% of all births among teenagers were second or subsequent in 1993. By 2003, this proportion had declined to 15.2%.

(Data cover all provinces, except Ontario. In 1996, Ontario introduced birth registration fees, and since then, an estimated 3% of all births in that province may not have been registered. This is particularly likely for children born to teenage mothers.)

Fertility rates have been declining among teenage girls almost steadily since the mid-1970s. By 2003, the rate of live births to girls aged 15 to 19 was only about one-seventh the rate for women aged 25 to 34.

Early childbearing can have serious consequences for both the babies and the mothers.

The study found that teens who had two or more children were highly concentrated in low-income neighbourhoods.

It also found that the proportion of second or subsequent births that were low-birthweight, less than 2,500 grams, was significantly higher for teen moms than for mothers aged 25 to 34.

A newborn's chances of survival are closely associated with birthweight. Those who weigh less than 2,500 grams at birth have higher mortality and more physical health problems than babies whose weight at birth was normal.

The rate of second or subsequent births among teenagers varied across the country.

Between 2001 and 2003, the rate in Nunavut was 12 times the national average. In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the rate was nearly three times the national average.

Rates were below the national average in Nova Scotia, Quebec and British Columbia.

A complete version of the article, "Second or subsequent births to teenagers", appears in the latest issue of Health Reports, Vol. 18, No. 1 (82-003-XWE, free), now available from the Publications module of the website.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this article, contact Michelle Rotermann (613-951-3166; michelle.rotermann@statcan.gc.ca), Health Statistics Division.

For more information about Health Reports, contact Christine Wright (613-951-1765; christine.wright@statcan.gc.ca), Health Statistics Division.