CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) Region 3 cited peer pressure and social media as among the factors of teenage pregnancy.
Based on studies on repeated adolescent pregnancy, the influence of social layers is among the factors as to why the pregnancy occurs.
“Repeated adolescent pregnancy means more than one pregnancy of a young woman before reaching the age of 19. Our researches show that this happens because there have been instances that teens are engaging into relationships without knowing the consequences,” said Popcom-3 information officer Adreal Denver Monterona.
Teens are more likely to be influenced and pressured by what they see on social media especially since the Covid-19 pandemic boosted their time in using gadgets.
Other crucial factors attributed to the prevalence of teenage pregnancy include lack of information about reproductive health and sexuality, ineffective or lack of parental guidance, poverty, and early engagement in risky behaviors.
“Since the first pregnancy until subsequent pregnancies, we found out that it is an interplay of factors. Adolescent pregnancy is not just about the adolescents, it’s also about their parents, their friends, their partners, and even the community they belong to,” Monterona said.
Among the 20,974 recorded pregnant adolescents in Central Luzon, 311 or 1.48 percent live births are from mothers in the young ages of 10-14.
In addition, Popcom said teenage pregnancy is a threat to the health not only of young mothers, but also of children.
“We know that pregnancy has ill effects on the overall wellness of the mothers. We know that when a woman is pregnant, there are risks that we have to guard. The risks become doubled in terms of health concerns if the pregnant mother is an adolescent,” Monterona explained.
Popcom said children born to very young mothers are at a higher risk of diseases and death.
Adolescent pregnancy is also a concern on the total development of the individual with implications on family, community, and socio-economic factors.
“The affected are not only the young mothers but also the young fathers. They have to stop schooling to take care of their baby. Because they stopped schooling, employment opportunities become limited for them to foster something for their future,” he said.
As adolescents, they are at the age when they should just be thinking of how to be productive citizens but because of being young parents, they are now thinking not just of themselves, but also the families they built.
Monterona bared that young parents are still dependent on their parents, and that dependence was doubled with the presence of their baby.
As an effect to the economy, having teens who are unable to pursue their education would lower the employment rate and the labor force of the country. — Jag Lyra Costamero/PIA–3
