Health & Well-Being
Women in Western Massachusetts experience worse outcomes than men across several health indicators. Approximately half of female students in Western Massachusetts are at risk of depression, twice the rate of their male peers. The rates for chlamydia for adolescent girls was ten times higher than the rate for all females in Berkshire and Hampden counties. Teen birth rates in Western MA were 30-98% higher than the state rate for all counties except Hampshire. The Latinx teen birth rate in Hampden County was four times higher than the state rate. 20% of women and 26% of black women in Western Massachusetts receive inadequate prenatal care. Women of color make up 27% of the Western Massachusetts population, but 45% of women who sought an abortion were women of color.
Mental Health
Girls in Western MA consistently (across multiple school-based surveys) reported depressive symptoms or were assessed at high risk for depression at elevated rates.
Percent of Students at High Risk for Depression by Gender
Source: Prevention Needs Assessment Surveys, 2017 (Berkshire, Hampshire) & 2018 (Franklin, Springfield)
Sexually Transmitted Infections
Between 2013 and 2017, among women across the four counties of Western MA, the average annual rates of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia (per 100,000) were highest in Hampden County.
Rates of syphilis (6.5) and gonorrhea (107.6) among women in Hampden County were 3.4 and 1.4 times higher, respectively, than statewide rates. Among female adolescents aged 15 to 19, rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia were particularly concerning with rates much higher than overall female rates in each county, with the exception of rates of gonorrhea in Franklin County.
Average Annual Rates of Gonorrhea among Women and Girls by County
Per 100,000; 2013-2017
Source: MA DPH, Department of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, Sexually Transmitted Infections 2013–2017
Average Annual Rates of Chlamydia among Women and Girls by County
Per 100,000; 2013-2017
Source: MA DPH, Department of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, Sexually Transmitted Infections 2013–2017
Teen Births
In 2016, the MA teen birth rate was among the lowest in the country at a rate of 8.5 per 1,000 compared to 20.3 per 1,000 nationally. Rates were 30.0–98% higher than the state rate in all Western MA counties except Hampshire. Large inequities exist among Latinx teens, particularly in Hampden County, where the Latinx teen birth rate was over four times that of the overall state rate. Latinx teen births made up 74.4% of the teen births in Western MA.
Teen Birth Rates
Per 100,000; Hampden County, 2016
Source: MA DPH Birth Data Set, 2016
Prenatal Care
Adequacy of prenatal care (APNC) is determined by the timing of the initiation of prenatal care and the frequency of prenatal care visits, as measured by the Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization (APNCU) Index. The APNCU identifies women who have received at least basic adequate prenatal care as women who begin receiving prenatal care by their fourth month of pregnancy and attend at least 80% of recommended prenatal care visits.
Percent of Pregnant Women Who Received Adequate Prenatal Care
By County, 2016
| Overall | Latinx | Asian/Pacific Islander | Black | White | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire | 80.6 | 74.0 | 88.9 | 74.2 | 81.4 | 82.4 |
| Franklin | 87.8 | 81.3 | 61.5* | 100.0* | 88.7 | 0* |
| Hampden | 81.3 | 79.7 | 82.5 | 73.0 | 84.2 | 80.0 |
| Hampshire | 87.2 | 86.7 | 84.1 | 95.7 | 87.5 | 77.8* |
| Statewide | 82.3 | 78.8 | 82.9 | 69.8 | 85.7 | 75.6 |
An estimate with a numerator count less than 10 should be interpreted with caution and is indicated by an asterisk (*). Source: MA DPH Birth Data Set, 2016
