An interesting study by the University of Pittsburgh published in the November issue of Pediatrics found a link between teen girls' body weight (actual and perceived) and their likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behaviors. These included having intercourse before turning 13, having sex with more than four partners, consuming alcohol in connection with sex, and having unprotected sex.  The study surveyed 7,200 high school girls, with half reporting that they had ever had sex.

Some key points:

• Caucasian girls who believed they were underweight were more likely to have had sex and to have had four or more sexual partners than girls who considered themselves at a normal weight.
• Caucasian girls who were actually overweight were less likely to use condoms.
• African-American girls who were underweight were less likely to use condoms than those of normal weight, and overweight African-American girls were more likely to report four or more sexual partners.
• Latina girls of all weights were more likely to engage in a wide variety of risky sexual behaviors, from lack of condom use and sex before age 13 to having more than four sexual partners during their teens and using alcohol.

Kudos to Amy Sullivan on her insightful article in Time magazine voicing concern over recent increases in childbearing among unmarried adults.

Her reference to the Murphy Brown/Dan Quayle controversy helps us remember that while nonmarital childbearing seems to have only recently recaptured the public interest, this issue has been with us for many years—in fact nonmarital childbearing has been increasing almost nonstop for decades now.

The issue of nonmarital childbearing was first raised at the national level back in 1965 with what has come to be known as The Moynihan Report. Back then, nonmarital childbearing occurred predominantly among the African-American Community, with roughly one third of African-American children born to unmarried mothers (compared to less than one in ten children born to unmarried mothers overall). Hence, the Moynihan report focused on the fraying fabric of the African-American family unit and it became mired in controversy for its racist and classist overtones.

Unless you've been living on Mars, you know that teen pregnancy has been much in the news lately. The high profile teen pregnancies--from Bristol Palin to Jamie Lynn Spears to a group of high school students in Gloucester, Mass--remind us all that teen pregnancy can happen anywhere and to anyone. It does: a stunning 29% of all girls in this country get pregnant at least once before they turn 20.

Even more stunning: if you are a Latino or African-American teen, you're more likely than not to experience a teen pregnancy--53% of Latina teens get pregnant at least once before they turn 20.  The figure is 51% for African Americans.  Native American teens also have higher than average birth rates (teen pregnancy data are not available).

As our nation approaches its annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, this is a perfect time to remember that Latino communities, and other communities of color, need additional support to address this pressing problem. Early pregnancy is tied directly to poverty and education--two issues of deep concern among Latino leaders, families, faith leaders, and yes--even community organizers. Over two-thirds (69%) of Latina teen moms drop out of high school.

The Communities of Color Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act (H.R. 468/S. 1790) currently pending in Congress would invest much-needed funds to help better understand these disparities and provide communities with the highest rates of teen pregnancy with new resources to address the problem.

Read more about racial and ethnic disparities in teen pregnancy.

Look at state-by-state teen birth rates in your state.

Learn more about the connection between teen pregnancy and education among Latino teens.

As you may or may not know, the progress in teen pregnancy prevention in this country has been embarrassingly uneven. While about one-third of all teen girls will become pregnant before age 20, this figure jumps significantly for minority girls--51% of African-American girls and 53% of Latinas will have at least one pregnancy during their teen years. Rates for Native American teen births are also disproportionately high.

You read it right--some minority youth are more likely than not to become pregnant during their teen years. We thought this was important enough to hold a Congressional briefing on the topic a couple of weeks ago.

These stats made our friends' jaws drop over at the The Progressive Policy Institute--rightly so. And while they clearly have shown their hand as far as their preference for the Prez (not surprisingly, considering their affiliation with the Democratic Leadership Committee), this is an issue that all Americans have to care about, regardless of where your fall on the red-purple-blue spectrum.

My colleagues and I won't engage in political debates, but the policy question is quite valid: How will our elected leaders address the staggering disparities among minority youth, and what's the best way to make progress on teen pregnancy prevention in communities of color? Discuss.