Teen pregnancy rate doubles county’s numbers

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- Studies have identified the southern region of the city

as a teen pregnancy “hot spot,” prompting further scrutiny by local

prevention organizations and the mayor.

Research by the California Department of Health Services -- which

broke down its study areas by ZIP Code -- found 92627 to have more than

double the number of teen pregnancies than the county average.

The study, which researched pregnancies for young women ages 15 to 19

in 2000, showed the southern region of Costa Mesa had 91 pregnant teen

mothers per 1,000 teenage girls. The average for Orange County is 42; the

state average is 48.1.

Other Orange County “hot spots” were Anaheim, Santa Ana, Orange and La

Habra, the study shows, but Costa Mesa had the highest numbers in the

county.

Planned Parenthood, whose mission is to educate young adults about the

responsibilities of being sexually active, tracks those numbers and seeks

to combat them.

Sally Brett, a nurse at Planned Parenthood in Costa Mesa, said the

center sees 200 to 300 teens per month, and the large majority of those

children take advantage of birth control. Brett also works with those for

whom it is too late for birth control. The center offers pregnancy

testing and prenatal classes, she said.

Most of the center’s clients are women, but Brett said she would like

to see more males come in.

“They are half the problem,” she said.

If more boys and men would learn about birth control, it would

dramatically decrease the teen birth rates, she said.

In addition to providing services in the community and tracking

relevant statistics, Planned Parenthood explores further preventive

methods.

The organization is scheduled to host a conference today to discuss

similar survey findings on topics such as teen pregnancy, birth control

and perceptions of sex education in Latino youth. Special attention is

being paid to Latinos because research shows it will be the largest

demographic by 2010, said Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Kimberly Custer.

Mayor Linda Dixon said she was made aware of the high birth rate by

Planned Parenthood officials and immediately became concerned.

“I am interested in programs that increase responsibility and

education,” Dixon said. “I anticipate learning more specific information

at the conference.”

According to ZIP Code maps, the 92627 area encompasses both the west

and east sides of Costa Mesa. The boundary is jagged and includes the

neighborhoods south of the Costa Mesa Golf Course and south of Wilson

Street to the Costa Mesa Freeway, then juts up to Mesa Drive, runs east

to Irvine Boulevard and continues along city boundaries to the west,

where it cuts off at the Santa Ana River.

The other Costa Mesa ZIP Code area studied was 92626. The study found

that area to have 24 teen pregnancies per 1,000, which is well below the

county and state averages.

The same survey performed in the late 1990s also found Costa Mesa’s

teen pregnancy rate to be 91 per 1,000. At that time, the county’s rate

was higher, at 49.

* Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .