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Report Shows W.Va. Teen Birth Rate Eighth-Highest Among The States
By: Associated Press
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A new government report shows West Virginia's teen birth rate is one of the 10 highest rates in the nation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Tuesday shows West Virginia's rate in 2010 was 44.8 teen births per 1,000 girls. That's the eighth-highest rate.
The highest rate was in Mississippi, with 55 teen births per 1,000 girls. New Hampshire had the lowest rate at 16 per 1,000.
West Virginia's rate stayed about the same from 2007 to 2010. But nearly every other state saw a decline in teen births during that period. The biggest drop was in Arizona at 29 percent.
The authors of the CDC report say the declines have been attributed to pregnancy prevention efforts.