data + resources Disparities
Health disparities are due to a wide variety of factors, often called determinants, such as race, sexuality, income, and residence. For example, people in rural areas may have fewer clinics that accept Medicaid when compared to urban centers, or Black and Latino neighborhoods may be less likely to have grocery stores with fresh produce when compared to white neighborhoods. These populations have obstacles to health which are often systemic in nature, and can be addressed through community work and policy change.
We see disparities in many areas of reproductive health, including maternal mortality and morbidity, rates of sexually transmitted infections, and teen birth.
In Texas, the rates of teen pregnancy vary greatly based on many determinants, particularly race. In Texas, Hispanic and Black youth have higher rates of teen pregnancy than White or Asian youth. In 2021, the Texas teen birth rate was 2.4 times higher for Hispanic youth than for white youth. The teen birth rate for white youth was 8 times higher than that of Asian youth.