TEENAGE PREGNANCY. Young mothers are shown breastfeeding their babies inside a health facility. In Eastern Visayas, the Commission on Population said 4.9 percent of teenage girls are already mothers. (PNA file photo)
TACLOBAN CITY – Teenage pregnancy among 15 to 19 years old in Eastern Visayas has dropped based on the 2022 National Health and Demographic Survey (NDHS), the Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) reported Thursday.
The figure declined to 4.9 percent last year from 6.9 percent recorded in 2017, based on the 2022 NDHS that surveyed 245 teenage girls in the region.
PopCom Eastern Visayas regional director Elnora Pulma said among the age group, the highest percentage was recorded in women aged 19 at 13 percent. The lowest percentage of childbearing women are 16-years-old at 1.7 percent.
Pulma said the drop could be attributed to the limited interaction among adolescents due to the pandemic restrictions.
Despite the decline, the number is still high, Pulma said during a press briefing here as part of PopCom’s 54th anniversary.
“Although the figure may have decreased for teenage pregnancy, the figure remains high. One teenage pregnancy is one case, too many. We are advocating for zero teenage pregnancy,” she said.
Pulma said during a press briefing here as part of PopCom’s 54th anniversary.
Teenage pregnancy, according to Pulma, is identified as one of the most pressing issues that Filipino youth are facing today.
A United Nations study revealed that those adolescents who have begun childbearing before the age of 18 are less likely to complete secondary education.
“One case is too many since the non-completion of basic education impacts employment opportunities in the future and total life earnings of families,” Pulma added.
The net estimated effect of early childbearing due to lost opportunities and foregone earnings can be as high as PHP33 billion in annual losses for the country.
PopCom has no data on a specific number of childbearing teens in the region based on the 2022 study.
However, in the 2020 survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority, it was found that 6,485 teens (14 to 19 years old) in the region have experienced pregnancy.
Pulma said that among the interventions implemented to address the problem is the integration of Comprehensive Sexuality Education in the basic education curriculum.
Sexuality education is seen as a strategy for the youth to develop the confidence to be able to deal with peer pressure and “negotiate safe and consensual relationships.” (PNA)
