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| Michael Cera and Ellen Page star in the movie Juno. |
Don Langille shakes his head as he scans the headlines: 鈥淭een pregnancy on the rise.鈥� 鈥溾�� 鈥�.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 just untrue,鈥� says Dr. Langille, professor of Community Health and Epidemiology at AV俱乐部. 鈥淭here is no evidence that teen pregnancy is on the rise in Canada at all.鈥�
According to Statistics Canada, teen pregnancy rates decreased 38 per cent across Canada between 1994 and 2004, the latest statistics available. The figure is even more dramatic in provinces such as Nova Scotia and Ontario, where rates dropped by 45 and 49 per cent respectively in the same time period.
In 2004, 25 out of 1,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years of age became pregnant in Nova Scotia, down from 46 out of 1,000 a decade earlier. In addition, in recent years, a greater proportion of teenagers who become pregnant choose not to carry their pregnancies to term.
鈥淐ool?鈥� asks Dr. Langille. 鈥淚 think the data flies in the face of that. To say that young women are having babies as a kind of fashion accessory 鈥� well, I don鈥檛 think the data supports that at all.鈥�
The hot-pink cover of 惭补肠濒别补苍鈥檚 shows Oscar nominee Ellen Page in a hoodie, striped T-shirt and swelling belly. The story draws a link between pregnant Hollywood teen Jamie Lynn Spears (Britney鈥檚 younger sister), the teen pregnancy storyline of the movie Juno, and slight increases in teen pregnancy rates in the United States and United Kingdom.
While the cover story notes numbers aren鈥檛 rising in Canada, author Cathy Gulli suggests it鈥檚 only a matter of time. 鈥淪ome experts say that when data does become available, we'll see the same rise as our neighbours,鈥� she writes.
One of the experts she quotes is Alex McKay, research coordinator of the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada, a national nonprofit educational organization. A report by Mr. McKay in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality last May noted the rate of teen pregnancies in Canada had hit an all-time low.
鈥淚f there is an increase in one of the three countries, then we may 鈥� and I emphasize the word 鈥渕ay鈥� 鈥� see the same thing in the other countries,鈥� he says, on the phone from Toronto. 鈥淟ooking at the rates of the three countries over the past 15 to 20 years, the direction tends to mirror each other.鈥�
The 惭补肠濒别补苍鈥檚 story also notes that pregnant teens aren鈥檛 the outcasts they once were, and that there鈥檚 support for them should they decide to have their babies.
That鈥檚 probably true, says Mr. MacKay. 鈥淭een pregnancy has always been seen as a disaster: Bad for the mother, bad for the child, bad for society. I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 the disaster it once was.鈥�
But this greater acceptance and support does not lead to greater numbers of teenage mothers, argues Dr. Langille. Falling teen pregnancy rates reflect the reality that young women are better informed and have greater access to contraception than ever before.
鈥淭eens do have more support to deal with their sexuality and that may be one of the reasons we are seeing declines,鈥� says Dr. Langille, whose research is focused on adolescent health. 鈥淭here are some very good school programs out there, parents who are more communicative about sex, and better trained health professionals.鈥�
The AV俱乐部 professor is currently conducting research in Yarmouth, N.S. which has above-average teenage pregnancy rates compared to other Nova Scotia cities and towns. Researchers are talking to young people there to find out about social norms, the experience of peers, interaction with the health-care system, and communication between parents and kids. 鈥淥nce we find out why it鈥檚 happening, we鈥檒l work with local professionals to see what we can do about it,鈥� he says.
READ: by Donald Langille in the Canadian Medical Association Journal | in the Yarmouth Vanguard