The Utah Health Department reports that the latest numbers show the teen birth rate growing in the state for the first time in 10 years, but it's a mixed bag here in Utah County.

"We are concerned about this rise, but it's not a trend," said Jennifer Mayfield, adolescent health coordinator for the department. "It's just the way data trends occur. Next year and the year after, if we continue to see that rise, that will be cause for alarm."

The numbers had been steadily falling since 1996, when there were 44 births per every 1,000 girls. That mirrors the national trend, in which the numbers fell from 53.5 to 40.5 between 1996 and 2005. But 2006 also showed a bump nationally, when the birth rate increased to 41.9 per 1,000.

In Utah County, Provo and Orem showed slight increases in teen birth numbers. But in the area around Brigham Young University, that number was still near the bottom of the list in the state with 5.4 births per 1,000 teen girls. In the period between 2004 and 2006, the BYU area was second only to the area around the University of Utah, which had 4.3 births per 1,000 girls.

Lynn Flinders, nursing director for the Utah County Health Department, is a member of the county's Teen Pregnancy Council. She said several factors contribute to the birth rate, one of the foremost being ethnic makeup. In the state, for example, the birth rate among Hispanic girls was more than three times the average: there were 105 births per 1,000 girls in 2006.

"We're seeing more and more of them in our community," she said. "There may be some factors there."

Cultural differences may play a role in that discrepancy, Flinders said -- but that's all conjecture. Truth is, nobody knows why the difference is so pronounced.

"That's why we're assessing it. We're still kind of gathering information," she said. "Why is this happening?"

Beyond ethnicity, Flinders said family history, education and the working status of both parents can influence the likelihood that a teen will conceive.

The council meets every few months to discuss what can be done in Utah County. But some areas, the state Health Department's numbers show, seem to be doing just fine.

Lehi, for example, had the highest rate in the county in 2005 at 46.1 per 1,000 girls. But during the following year, that number tumbled by 7.5 births to 38.6. Mayfield said it's not entirely clear why that happened, either.

"That's something that we definitely plan on exploring," she said.

The state Health Department receives about $288,000 a year from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families to fund teen pregnancy education. Much of that goes to programs like Parents Matter, which was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The five-week program teaches Spanish-speaking parents how to talk to their kids about teen sex and pregnancy -- a critical step in the process, Mayfield said.

"I know that this is a sensitive area -- and perhaps an uncomfortable area -- for a lot of parents and guardians to talk over with their children, but it is essential," she said. "It's definitely parent and guardian involvement."

Flinders said the county currently receives no money for preventative measures, but there are several programs in place to help new teen mothers understand their situation.

"We're always kind of concerned and always working with people," she said. "We actually go out and do home visitations and give them education."

Springville and Spanish Fork showed minimal increases in the teen birth rate to 31.1 per 1,000 girls, while American Fork and Alpine fell by 3.5 births per 1,000 girls to 17.7. Pleasant Grove and Lindon's rate fell by two to 23.4 births per 1,000 girls.