All about the young & the curious

Dr. Corazon M. Raymundo

U.P. Population Institute

Youth Forum, World Population Day Celebration July 11, 2003 * FEU Conference Center

The Filipino Adolescents Outline of Presentation

Some basic facts Social environment Risk behaviors Consequences of risk behaviors Reasons why they engage in risk behaviors What can we do to help?

The Filipino Adolescents Some considerations in the Presentation

Comparisons global gender adolescent-relevant SE groups temporal

The Filipino adolescents:

Some Basic Facts Magnitude 1/5 of of the population are 15-24 yrs old in absolute numbers: 16.5 million at the global level, 1.2 billion youth By 2030, adolescent population in the Philippines is estimated to reach 30 million

Main activities of adolescents

31% of adolescents are idle, while 47% are still in school
Younger adolescents are still very much in school.
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Student Working Not working/studying

More young males are working than females.

50 45

65.7
15-19 20-24

46.4 47.6 Male 29.5 24.1 15.9 Female 36.5

46.3

40 35 30 25

35 18.7 20.3

20 15 10 5 0

14

Student

Working

Not working/studying

Social Environment of Adolescents

F a m i l y
Majority were raised by both natural parents (83%). 76% of adolescents have parents who are still living together.
Lower proportion of

idle youth were raised by both parents.

Among idle youth, 70

% have parents who are still living together.

Social Environment of Adolescents

F a m i l y
In general, adolescents view their parents to be more permissive than controlling
They see their fathers to be more strict

than their mothers

Social Environment of Adolescents

F a m i l y
44 % of Filipino adolescents have experienced living away from home
Females have higher tendency to live away

from home than males.

The likelihood of leaving home increases

when an adolescent leaves school.

Social Environment of Adolescents

c h o o l

Majority of Filipino adolescents attended public schools.

75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65

74

70 68

Student

Working

Not working/studying

Social Environment of Adolescents

S c h o o l
1 in 10 had experienced school suspension Larger proportion of those who are no longer in school had experienced school suspension. Boys have higher likelihood for school suspension than girls.

Social Environment of Adolescents

On average, Filipino adolescents have 5 close friends. Boys keep a slightly wider circle of friends than girls. 42% knew that some of their friends are having premarital sex. 56% among boys 31% among girls

Social Environment of Adolescents

c h

83% of Filipino youth are Catholics. Regardless of religion, 66% attend ceremonies at least once a week. Girls are more religious than boys.

Social Environment of Adolescents

M e d i a
6% have regular internet access 55% of adolescents have access to pornographic reading materials and x-rated films/videos
Access to pornographic materials
80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 76 64 63

Males

Older adolescents

Working group

Adolescent Development Adolescence is a healthy transition period from childhood to adulthood

Sexual development is a normal part of the transition

Adolescent Development Most adolescents go through the transition without much problems
BUT a large number engage in risk behaviors in ways that can leave scars that can hurt their development in many aspects

Risk Behaviors among Adolescents

Non sexual risk behaviors

Smoking: 47% have tried smoking

Males have higher proclivity to smoking than females. Younger women are picking up the smoking practice faster than the men. Out-of-school youth smoke more than those who are still in school.

Risk Behaviors among Adolescents

Non sexual risk behaviors

Drinking: 69 % have ever tried drinking alcohol

Alcohol consumption is almost universal among younger male adolescents (93%). There is increasing trend in drinking experience, from 54% in 1994 to 70% in 2002. Those who are working and idle are more prone to drinking than in school youth.

Risk Behaviors among Adolescents

Non sexual risk behaviors

Drug use: 1.8 million Filipino youth have ever-tried illegal drugs (11%)
25

Males more likely

20 20 18

In school least likely

15 12 10 7 5 3

0 Males Females Working In-school Idle

Risk Behaviors among Adolescents

Non sexual risk behaviors

Suicide: 12% of adolescents have had thought of suicide

Girls are more prone to think of suicide than boys (17% vs. 7%). Compared with students and working youth, idle youth are more prone to think of committing suicide (15% vs. 11%)

Risk Behaviors among Adolescents

Sexual risk behaviors

Early sex: 23% of youth have engaged in PMS
40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Males Females Working Students 'Idle' 15 10 30 35 32

Risk Behaviors among Adolescents

Sexual risk behaviors

3% of first single dates lead to PMS 11% of PMS were of the same-sex nature. Same-sex is more common among the boys, in-school youth, and younger adolescents

Risk Behaviors among Adolescents

Sexual risk behaviors

33% of first sex experiences were not planned. This is more common among females

and students.

42% of first sex experiences were wanted and planned. This is more common among males and

working youth.

Risk Behaviors among Adolescents

Sexual risk behaviors

Casual sex is practiced more by males than females. 54% of sexually active adolescents had sex with the same partner. Males tend to have more than one sexual partner than females (49% vs. 11%). 1/5 of first sex and of last sex episodes are protected.

Risk Behaviors among Adolescents

Multiple risk behaviors

Risk behaviors are not done in isolation, rather they are interconnected Those who smoke, drink and use drugs are more likely to have sex. PMS is most strongly linked with drug use.

Where do risk behaviors lead adolescents to? Other risk behaviors Accidental, unwanted and unsafe pregnancies
adolescents is 2-4 times higher than for women over age 20.
Infant mortality rate is 30% higher for infants born

Maternal mortality rate among pregnant

to mothers ages 15-19 than for those women 20 years or older.

Where do risk behaviors lead adolescents to?

Young Filipino women are reproductivelychallenged

mothers (15-19)

162,000 or 10% of all births occur to teenage

at age 18, 10% are already mothers at age 20, 25% are mothers at age 24, 50% are mothers, and 1/3 of Filipino

young women have 2-3 children already complications

Young pregnant women are prone to pregnancy

Where do risk behaviors lead adolescents to? Sexually transmitted diseases

For females, 6% have ever had abnormal

discharges, with the idle group having elevated proportions and the in-school group the least prone to the condition.

19% of females had experienced painful urination. Among males, 3% reported having penile discharge,

and another 3% complained about warts or ulcers in their penis.

23% of males had painful urination.

Where do risk behaviors lead adolescents to?

Abortion
5% of ever-pregnant adolescent had at least one

abortion experience.

Reasons why adolescents engage in risk behaviors

Adolescents are becoming less & less connected with their families and religion They are doing more experimentation with their peers Pornograpic media is taking a larger space in their time and attention

Reasons why adolescents engage in risk behaviors

Adolescents now have more liberal attitudes on sex and sex-related matters. They are more approving of live-in arrangements and PMS.

Reasons why adolescents engage in risk behaviors

They are in support of divorce law, accepting of homosexuals and women getting pregnant without marriage. Students display the most liberal attitudes.

Summary Adolescents today are: facing sexual and non-sexual risks

Boys are more into riskier behaviors Idle (out-of-school/work) youth are more challenged in many ways

when you have it, you have it all

Summary Ill-consequences of risk behaviors are already apparent

Many are not even aware of the consequences or of the risks They are ill-prepared for the consequences

Better informed, better equipped

Summary There are signs of breaking down of adolescent protective connections

Family School Church

At the same time,

Closeness to peers Bad media taking more significance

transforming risk factors to protective factors, HOW?

 In view of the foregoing, what kinds of actions are needed to support healthier adolescent development? Who should be joining the efforts? What kinds of strategies are effective?

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