attempts to examine some of the reasons for the disparity and why Latinas now have the highest teen birth rate among all ethnic and racial groups in the United States . `` There 's a big disconnect between pregnancy rates and what Latina families want and value , '' said Ruthie Flores , senior manager of the National Campaign 's Latino Initiative . According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy , 53 percent of Latinas get pregnant in their teens , about twice the national average . After a period of decline , the birth rate for U.S. teenagers 15 to 19 years rose in 2007 by about 1 percent , to 42.5 births per 1,000 , according to preliminary data in a March 2009 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 's National Center for Health Statistics . In 2007 , the birth rate among non-Hispanic whites ages 15 to 19 was 27.2 per 1,000 , and 64.3 per 1,000 for non-Hispanic black teens in the same age range . The teen birth rate among Hispanic teens ages 15 to 19 was 81.7 per 1,000 . Of the 759 Latino teens surveyed ,
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- She had many plans for the future : to go to college , start a career , meet the man of her dreams , raise a family -- when the time was right . Expert : `` There 's a big disconnect between pregnancy rates and what Latina families want and value . '' It was all cut off by an unexpected pregnancy . The baby became her life , consuming her energy and forcing her dreams to the back burner of her life . She is 19 or younger and Latina , and has had her first baby . It 's not what she wanted . Nor did her parents , who are the greatest influence on her decisions about sex , according to a wide-ranging survey released Tuesday by experts on the Hispanic community in the United States . The survey also found that 84 percent of Latino teens and 91 percent of Latino parents believe that graduating from college or university or having a promising career is the most important goal for a teen 's future . Somewhere along the way , the aspirations fail to match up to reality . The survey