Teen birth rates hit new lows in 2010, data for South Carolina and Dorchester County show.

The South Carolina Campaign to End Teen Pregnancy released date Tuesday showing that the teen birth rate in Dorchester County fell 13 percent between 2009 and 2010 to 35.8 births per thousand. That’s lower than it’s been in years.

The county’s drop mirrors a statewide 13 percent drop.

Data on teen pregnancy rates takes longer to compile and lags behind birth rate data, but the latest information indicates that teen pregnancy rates are also falling, said Cayci Banks, director of communications for the campaign.

South Carolina ranks 12th among the states, which isn’t great, but it used to be in the top 10 for teen birth rates, Banks said.

One of the biggest reasons for the drop in birth rates is a “culture of openness,” Banks said.

“More parents are willing to talk to their young people about love, sex, relationships,” she said.

Young people are inundated with sexual information, including shows like MTV’s 16 and Pregnant, and while some people dislike the saturation of information, the campaign believes it opens up the dialogue.

Research has shown that more teens are delaying onset of sexual activity and those teens who are sexually active are more likely to use contraception, she said.

To continue to reduce the rate, South Carolina needs an increase in the quantity and quality of pregnancy prevention programs, she said.

The schools also need to get involved, she said, and offer age-appropriate, science-based prevention information.

Data:

Dorchester County ranks 41st out of 46 counties for its teen birth rate.

Berkeley County ranks 30th and Charleston County ranks 42nd. Charleston County’s birth rate is below the U.S. average.

Dorchester County’s teen birth rate was 43.3 per thousand in 2000. Its highest point in the last decade was in 2006, when it hit 49.4 per thousand. In 2010 it fell to 35.8 per thousand.

Between 2000 and 2010, Dorchester County’s birth rate for teens aged 15-17 decreased 32 percent. The birth rate for teens aged 18-19 decreased 9 percent. The rate for black teens aged 15-19 decreased 21 percent, and for white teens aged 15-19 decreased 15 percent.

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