SOCCSKSARGEN 3rd highest in teen pregnancy rate nationwide
HEALTH • 23:56 PM Wed Mar 7, 2018
817
By:
Juwairiyah bint Emran Mohamad/NDU-BAComm3
COTABATO CITY -- Davao Region is ranked highest in teenage
pregnancy rate in the country based on the results 2017 National Demographic
and Health Survey (NDHS) of the Philippine Statistics Authority.
SOCCSKSARGEN ranked third next to
Northern Mindanao.
The NDHS, conducted among women
respondents aged 15-19 years old, revealed that the national fertility rate has
declined from 3.0 percentof 2013 to 2.7 percent.
The steady decline shows progress from
the efforts of the Department of Health (DOH), Commission on Population
(POPCOM), and other partner associations in their advocacy and service to
promote Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning.
However, despite the decline of
fertility rates, teenage pregnancy of Davao Region (Region XI) women, ranks the
highest with 15.9 percentof young women aging 15-19 years old having had a live birth
and 2.1% pregnant with first child.
Northern Mindanao (Region X) ranked
second highest in teenage pregnancy at 14.7 percent, with 11.6 percent of women aging 15-19
years old having had a live birth and 1.6 percent pregnant with first child.
SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII) women ranks
third highest among regions, with 14.5 percent of women aged 15-19 who had begun
childbearing, 11.8 percent of whom have had live birth while 2.4% are pregnant with
the first child.
Nationally, the percentage of teenagers
who have begun childbearing rises rapidly with age, from 1 percent at age 15, to 22 percent at age 19. The study also showed that rural teenagers start childbearing 3 percent earlier than urban teenagers.
The NDHS stated that the issue of adolescent
fertility is important for both health and social reasons. Children born from
very young mothers are at increased risk of sickness and death. Teenage mothers
are more likely to experience adverse pregnancy outcomes and to be constrained
in their ability to pursue educational opportunities than young women who delay
childbearing.
In response, POPCOM said that they will
reinforce their campaign on Family Planning (FP), especially among workers,
farmers, and fisher folks in urban and rural areas where unmet need in FP is
highest. (Juwairiyah bint Emran Mohamad/NDU-BAComm3)