Texas Health Atlas

Chapter 3: Perinatal and Birth Conditions and Anomalies

3 Perinatal and Birth Conditions and Anomalies TEXAS COUNTIES HAD A MEAN RATE OF 85 teenage birth mothers per 100,000 population in 2006. Yet several of the Hispanic-majority counties in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and some counties in the Panhandle had rates of more than 120, the highest in the state. An examination of each of the state’s three major ethnic groups shows the rate of teenage birth mothers per 100,000 population was 165 for Hispanics, 61 for blacks, and 42 for whites. The county rates for the onset of prenatal care within the first trimester followed somewhat the geographic patterns of the teenage birth mothers and encompassed large urban areas as well. When the data are disaggregated into ethnic groups, Hispanics in counties in South and West Texas have the lowest rate of prenatal care in the first trimester (DSHS 2008b). Abortions, a perennially passionate topic of debate, occurred throughout Texas in 2006 with an overall county mean rate of 821 per 100,000 population but also included rates greater than 1,000, mostly in urban areas. Blacks led the state in the mean rate of abortions per 100,000 population with 563; followed by Hispanics, 489; and whites, 180 (DSHS 2009e). A comparison of the 2000–2003 and 2004–2007 data sets for preterm births shows the overall rate per 100,000 population decreased slightly from 74 to 73, particularly as a response to a substantial decline in the rate for blacks from 109 to 89. From 2003 to 2007, rates for babies with congenital anomalies were highest in South Texas, and Hispanics statewide had the highest rates, averaging 43.6 per 100,000 births. 51 Birth Mothers Less Than 18 Years Old, 2006 Total Population Sources: Claritas, 2008; Texas Department of State Health Services, 2009e. Mean Number of Births per 100,000 Population Mean Number of Births Notes: 1. The county mean number was 77, and the county mean rate per 100,000 population was 85. 2. Majority population identified using 2008 population data. 52 Birth Mothers Less Than 18 Years Old, 2006 Race/Ethnicity Source: Texas Department of State Health Services, 2009e. Note: The county mean number was 14 for whites, 51 for Hispanics, and 11 for blacks. The county mean rate per 100,000 population was 42 for whites, 165 for Hispanics, and 61 for blacks. White Hispanic Black Mean Number of Births per 100,000 Population Mean Number of Births 53 Prenatal Care Begun within First Trimester, 2006 Total Population Sources: Claritas, 2008; Texas Department of State Health Services, 2009e. Notes: 1. The county mean number was 934, and the county mean rate per 100,000 population was 821. 2. Majority population identified using 2008 population data. Mean Number of Patients per 100,000 Population Mean Number of Patients 54 Prenatal Care Begun within First Trimester, 2006 Race/Ethnicity White Hispanic Black Note: The county mean number of patients was 426 for whites, 416 for Hispanics, and 93 for blacks. The county mean rate per 100,000 population was 751 for whites, 1,072 for Hispanics, and 571 for blacks. Source: Texas Department of State Health Services, 2009e. Mean Number of Patients per 100,000 Population Mean Number of Patients 55 Abortions, 2006 Total Population Mean Number of Abortions per 100,000 Population Mean Number of Abortions Notes: 1. The county mean number of abortions was 306, and the county mean rate per 100,000 population was 273. 2. Majority population identified using 2008 population data. Sources: Claritas, 2008; Texas Department of State Health Services, 2009e. 56 Abortions, 2006 Race/Ethnicity White Hispanic Black Note: The county mean number of abortions was 104 for whites, 110 for Hispanics, and 72 for blacks. The county mean rate per 100,000 population was 180 for whites, 489 for Hispanics, and 563 for blacks. Source: Texas Department of State Health Services, 2009e. Mean Number of Abortions per 100,000 Population Mean Number of Abortions 57 Preterm Births Total Population 2000–2003 2004–2007 Mean Number of Patients per 100,000 Population Notes: 1. The maps display data from the ICD-9 codes 644 and 765. 2. The mean number of patients for each county was 81.77 per year for 2000–2003 and...