A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that the Southeast had the highest rate of teen pregnancy of any U.S. region in 2008. After a review of the National Vital Statistics System, the CDC revealed that over 60 in every 1000 teens become pregnant in the states of Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

This is in stark contrast to states in the Northeast and Upper Midwest where birthrates are closer to 25 of every 1000 teens. "In 2008, as in previous years, teenage birth rates were consistently highest in states across the South and Southwest, and lowest in the Northeast and upper Midwest," the researchers write.

They add: "Although teenage birth rates fell nationally and in 14 states from 2007 to 2008, the birth rate for the United States remains substantially higher than for other Western countries. There has been a broad consensus on the goal of preventing teenage pregnancy, and a wide variety of public and private programs have been developed to meet this challenge."