THURS-023 - Racial Residential Segregation and Disparities in Teen Births: Analysis of County Level Data Georgia 2020
Thursday, April 23, 2026
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM PST
Location: Plaza Foyer, Plaza Level
Area of Responsibility: Area V: Advocacy Keywords: Advocacy@@@Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)@@@Women's Health, Subcompetencies: 5.2 Engage coalitions and stakeholders in addressing the health issue and planning advocacy efforts., 5.2.4 Educate stakeholders on the health issue and the proposed policy, system, or environmental change. Research or Practice: Research
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
To demonstrate the association between residential segregation and higher teen births in county level data for Georgia, USA in 2020.
To demonstrate that Hispanic teen mothers have a higher average teen birth rate at the county level than other ethnicities.
To use the results based upon residential segregation and Hispanic teen mothers when developing healthcare policy.
Brief Abstract Summary: To learn that our data shows that the Georgia county average teen birth rate for Hispanic mothers is 46.91 per 1,000 females aged 15-19, higher than the rate for Black (39.83) and White (32.36) teens. Results based on regression analysis of county level data show that in residential segregation is associated with higher teen births across all races and ethnicities. Specifically, a 10-percentage point increase in segregation is associated with a higher teen birth rate of 6.2%-13.3% depending on race and ethnicity and model specification. Of the other SDOH, we find that those capturing economic stability have the largest impact on teen births. Our results can be used to promote community and nativity specific policy development when addressing racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes. Identifying counties with higher levels of residential segregation could help to identify needed resources and ways to customize programs to local needs to reduce teen births.
Detailed abstract description: This article uses the University of Wisconsin County Health Rankings data set to examine the relationship between racial residential segregation as a Social Determinant of Heath (SDOH) and teen births in counties in the State of Georgia, USA. Racial residential segregation is the SDOH variable focus of our research based on current discussions of pernicious racial and ethnic health disparities in the USA. For example, our data show that the county average teen birth rate for Hispanic mothers is 46.91 per 1,000 females aged 15-19, higher than the rate for Black (39.83) and White (32.36) teens. Literature is provided to explain the current social and policy concerns about the social and health consequences of teen births. Results based on regression analysis of county level data show that in Georgia residential segregation is associated with higher teen births across all races and ethnicities. Specifically, a 10-percentage point increase in segregation is associated with a higher teen birth rate of 6.2%-13.3% depending on race and ethnicity and model specification. Of the other SDOH, we find that those capturing economic stability: income, income inequality, unemployment, and the percentage of children that live in single-parent households, have the largest impact on teen births. Our results can be used to promote community and nativity specific policy development when addressing racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes. Identifying counties with higher levels of residential segregation could help to identify needed resources and ways to customize programs to local needs to reduce teen births.
