Republic of the Philippines

University of Eastern Philippines

University Town, Northern Samar

Communication Plan
(Teenage Pregnancy)

First Semester, SY: 2014-2015

Laurence Brian M. Hagutin

AB Political Science - 4

Virginia G. Balanon, Ph. D.

Course Professor
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I. Identified Problem in the Community

Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy is one of the visible problems in our

town, San Vicente, Northern Samar. As a person residing in an

island-municipality, where the majority of the people depends on

fishing and farming as their income-generating livelihoods, are

unsatisfactory for such a family composed of a large number of

children. Due also to some factors experienced by a family, such

as poverty, unemployment, family pressure, etc., children have

become affected by the said effects. And thus, teenage pregnancy

has intensified.

Teenage pregnancy is defined by the United Nations

Children's Fund UNICEF as a teenage girl, usually within the ages

of 13-19, becoming pregnant. The term in everyday speech usually

refers to girls who have not reached legal adulthood, which

varies across the world, who become pregnant.

II. Perceived Solutions to the Problem

Education

The 2013 United Nations Population Funds (UNFPA) report,

offered concrete solutions to curb the trend and protect girls

human rights and well-being. It called for actions that empower

girls, uphold their basic human rights, and put them on equal

footing with boys to reduce the number of adolescent girls

getting pregnant annually. One of the priorities it mentioned was

education.
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Programs on Preventing Teenage Pregnancy

The National Youth Commission, supported by the Department

of Health and the World Health Organization, convened the 2014

National Summit on Teen Pregnancy last April 24. This summit,

which saw the active participation of adolescent youth, delivered

a clear message: Adolescent sexual and reproductive health

(ASRH), or the lack thereof, is fast becoming the defining issue

of this generation of young Filipinos. Without a robust response

from all stakeholders, the Philippines is on track toward a full-

blown, national teenage pregnancy crisis.

At the end of the teenage pregnancy summit, the participants

strongly endorsed a comprehensive sexual education curriculum;

forging a Batang Ina social movement; and establishing

adolescent-friendly spaces. The enactment of the Responsible

Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act was also recognized as an

important step to make ASRH services more accessible to those in

need.

III. Implementation and Strategy

Education

Educators should see to it that the following strategies are

implemented to lessen teenage pregnancy:

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1. Youth Development focuses on providing young people with

skills that will help them succeed as adults. One of the

most promising approaches to reducing teenage pregnancy is

to improve educational and career opportunities for teens

and to instill a belief in a successful future.

2. Male Involvement acknowledges the critical role males play

in unintended and early pregnancies among teenagers, and

involves them in pregnancy prevention efforts.

3. Cultural Relevant interventions will increase the

effectiveness of efforts to reduce teenage pregnancy because

culture plays a major role in influencing values and

attitudes about sex, child bearing, and parenting.

4. Service Learning connects meaningful community service with

academic learning, civic responsibility, and personal

growth. It enables young people to study community issues

in-depth, plan and initiate community action, and make a

difference in their community.

5. Sexuality and AIDS Education plays an important role in

providing youth with the knowledge and skills necessary to

make healthy decisions about their intimate relationships.

Programs on Preventing Teenage Pregnancy

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The following are the steps to consider in addressing the

programs mentioned above:

Step 1: Community Mobilization and Sustainability. Engaging

all sectors of the population in a community wide effort to

address teen pregnancy prevention. Community mobilization

supports the sustainability of teen pregnancy prevention

efforts by empowering community members and groups to take

action to facilitate change. This component includes

mobilizing necessary resources, disseminating information,

generating support, and fostering cooperation across public

and private sectors in the community.

Step 2: Evidence-Based Programs. Providing teens with

evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs, including

youth development and curriculum-based programs that reduce

teen pregnancy and associated risk factors.

Step 3: Increasing Youth Access to Contraceptive and

Reproductive Health Care Services . Ensuring clinical

partners are providing teen friendly, culturally competent

reproductive health care services that are easily accessible

to all youth in the community, and establishing linkages

between teen pregnancy prevention program partners and clinics

that serve at risk youth from the target community.

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Step 4: Stakeholder Education. Educating civic leaders,

parents, and other community members about evidence-based

strategies to reduce teen pregnancy and improve adolescent

reproductive health, including needs and available resources

in the target community.

Step 5: Working with Diverse Communities. Raising awareness

of community partners about the link between teen pregnancy

and social determinants of health, and ensuring culturally and

linguistically appropriate programs and reproductive health

care services are available to youth.

IV. References

Der Hor, Carin Van. Teenage pregnancy among todays Filipino youth.
Website: http://opinion.inquirer.net/74517/teenage-pregnancy-among-
todays-filipino-youth. Date Published: May 15, 2014.

Padilla, Stephen Norries A. Education Will Help Curb Teen

Pregnancy. Website: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/520435/education-will-
help-curb-teen-pregnancy. Date Published: November 4, 2013.

http://www.unicef.org/malaysia/Teenage_Pregnancies_-

_Overview.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/preventteenpreg.htm
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http://www.joe.org/joe/2003april/tt1.php