A new survey commissioned by the USA's National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), an advocacy group for Hispanic Americans, reveals that Latino teens are heavily influenced by their parents in matters of sex
According to the National Campaign, a Washington DC-based advocacy group that aims to reduce teen pregnancy, the overall teen birth rate in the United States has been increasing for the first time since 1995.
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Latino teenagers have the highest rate of teen pregnancy and births among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, and 53 percent of Latinas become pregnant as teens, the Campaign estimates.
The survey , which was conducted in 2008, also found that 49 percent of teenagers blamed their parents for their attitudes, citing lack of information about contraception, conflicting messages about sex given to sons and daughters, and fear of having their parents find out if they use contraception.
Many teenagers also expressed regret at having begun sexual activity early, believe that being a teen parent would prevent or delay them from fulfilling their goals, and many said that it is important to be married before starting a family.
"While Latino teen pregnancy has gained national attention in recent years, little work has been done to understand subgroup differences and similarities within the Latino community," said Ruthie Flores, Senior Manager of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy's Latino Initiative, in a statement.
"We hope this survey shines much-need light on the beliefs and attitudes of Latin teens and parents and helps inform teen pregnancy prevention efforts and messages nationwide."u00a0
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