The Solutions To The Issue Of Teenage Pregnancy In Philippines

Teenage pregnancy is having the first baby at age of 15 (Pillitteri, 2013). In the Philippines, according to the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2017) from the Department of Health (DOH), Filipino female teenagers are increasing becoming pregnant and become mother at an early age (Galeon, 2018). In 2017, statistics showed that there are almost 200,000 mothers under 15 – 19 years of age (PSA, 2018).

Teenage pregnancy brings different physical, emotional, social and spiritual impact to the well-being of the adolescent. It is very crucial for the teenage pregnant to become aware of the physiological changes brought about by her pregnancy. According to the World Health Organization (2018) complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for 15 to 19 year-old girls globally.

The effectiveness of the care to be rendered is dependent upon the patient’s/caregiver’s ability to recognize the occurrence of abnormal condition (Emilie J Calvello, Alexander P Skog, Andrea G Tenner & Lee A Wallis, 2015). Furthermore, the researchers pointed out that the patient’s/caregiver’s perception of the quality of care that the patient will receive does seem to have a strong effect on their decision to seek care.

The Department of Health (DOH) mandated that to have safe pregnancy and childbirth, a pregnant woman should have at least four (4) prenatal check-ups throughout the course of pregnancy to detect and manage danger signs and complications of pregnancy. In addition, the MNCHN Strategy provision of iron and folate supplementation for 3 months, iodine supplementation and 2 tetanus toxoid immunization, counselling on healthy lifestyle and breastfeeding, prevention and management of infection, as well as oral health services (DOH, MNCHN Manual of Operations, 2nd ed., 2011).

The researchers will conduct the study to determine the awareness of the teenage pregnant women in chosen barangays of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro regarding the danger signs and symptoms of pregnancy. Facing the increasing statistics of teenage pregnancy, the researchers believe that awareness on the danger signs and symptoms prevents the teenage pregnant from having any pregnancy related complications. Furthermore, the result of the study can be incorporated in the Midwifery curriculum of the Occidental Mindoro State College in handling teenage pregnancy.