CHAPTER 2

Review of Related Literature

This chapter includes some related literature and studies of local and foreign
which presented in the following paragraphs.

Local Literature
According to Benjamin de Leon, President of Forum for Family Planning and
Development in the Philippines, an NGO working an adolescent health issue expressed
alarm that almost 10 percent of all Filipino women aged 15- 19 have already given birth.
“This is reality that we must address”, he said. There is an urgency for all sectors” to
work together to help address adolescent reproductive health issue and teen pregnancy
because of the health and economic implications to the country”, he said. “A high rate of
teen pregnancy also means a high risk for maternal death among our young girls.”
The Philippines joins the rest of the world in calling the attention of Government
and Civil society groups to help address rising teen pregnancies through better policies,
improved education and information campaigns and programs that can reach out
adolescents in school, in communities or wherever they may be”, de Leon said. De
Leon said point out that every Filipino family, community, church involvement and peers
of a teenagers has a great role on this.
Domini Torivillas (The Philippines Star) updated July 11, 2013. There is evidence
supporting the Reproductive Health Law that calls for sexuality education among young
students. Not that for teaching the Kids to engage in “safe” sex, but rather, for telling
them why they should not engage in early sex, and yes before marriage. With regulated
sexuality education, the young age informed about sex, pregnancy, unplanned and
planned, instead of through the internet or pornographic magazines that somehow
manage to reach them. Peep into their rooms and see copies of playboy and pent
house and other sexy publications tucked between and bed sheets, and adults-only-
videos in the internet. When family disregard sex education at home, might one way
that teenagers will be innocent about sex consequences about prone to early sex. The
other one is when the family has poor values and can’t understand the need of
teenagers economically, socially, and emotionally might one reason too of teenage
pregnancy.

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 Discover Questions in the Philippines”, July 14, 2013 (Online Survey). The
factors that triggers the increased of Teenage Pregnancy in the country are: Family
problems, broken family/ complicated family, peer pressure/ bad influence, media/
television/ movies – influential trends (regarding sex), pornography, lack of attention,
love, caring, lack of moral values, failure to nurture with good principle, curiosity, lack of
information about sex (sex education), use of illegal drugs, lack of guidance, prostitution
(involves poverty), unintelligent decision, etc.
Last March 14, 2014, Maramag is still a growing community, cases of teenage
pregnancy usually become a big issue to their neighbor and to their whole community.
The family of the victim is in trauma discovering that their teenager was some months
on her way already. Almost everybody is blaming the pregnant teenager of the
consequences of her misdeeds. They focused their judgment to the victim but they did
not bother to ask why and what were behind of indulging sex at teens and got pregnant
not at the right time. Filipino families and communities is properly informed about their
responsibilities to their youngster with regards to sex. While teenagers wherever they
are must be reached to educate and be well informed how to counter early pregnancy.

Local Studies
The result of the study conducted by Juliet C. Retazo last March 14, 2014
showed that the study about the effect of teenage pregnancy on educational
development of students and out-of-school youth in Maramag, Bukidnon. Firstly, this
study endeavored to identify perception of the respondents on the causes of teenagers
pregnancy in terms of the following factors: the family, with a mean 4.13, the
respondents agreed that their parents are not open about the use of contraceptives at
home: the levels of educational attainment of parents is low and the income is not
enough to support the family. The respondents also agreed that parents don’t talk about
consequences of plan or unplanned indulgence of sex. Secondly, this study attempted
to find out the causes of teenage pregnancy as perceived by the respondents in terms
of community factor.
Then, the findings showed the respondents agreed to all indicators stated in the
questionnaire. The following are the finding of the study:
1. The age level of the majority of the respondents is between 17 to 18 years old. This
constitute 38.3 percent of the population. The educational attainment of the respondents
were mostly high school and elementary level. Only few or 18.3 percent of the
respondents make it to college. While 14 of the respondents are still studying, majority
are out-of-school youth, who, after pregnancy prefer to stay at home and take care of
their babies. With regards to the type of school attended, majority or 78.3 percent are
from public school. The monthly income of the family of the big majority of the
respondents is less that P5, 000.00.

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2. When the perception of the respondents on the causes of teenage pregnancy in
terms of family factor, the data showed that parent’s family factor, not being open about
the use of contraceptive at home ranked first with a mean of 4.13. The lowest rank were
respondents moderately agree was members of the family learned about sex from
pornographic, playboy, television and internet. This has a mean of 2.88.
3. It was also found out that parents who work outside the home giving teenagers time
to be alone most often. This is ranked first with a mean of 3.7 and a description of
“Agree“. This was followed by teenage couple usually indulge in sexual activities out of
curiosity with a mean of 3.55 and agreed by the respondents. Moderately agreed also
by the respondents is the indicator, “Drugs and intoxicating drinks are usually
introduced during group gathering.
4. In terms of the perception of the respondents or the causes of Teenage Pregnancy in
terms of community factor, the respondents agreed of all indicators.
The highest of which are out-of-school youth teenagers in the community that are
earnings for a living, 4.18; pregnant unwed teenagers are often frowned in the
community; 4.16 and majority of families in the community have very low income and
not enough to support the needs of the family; 4.15 another indicator like unwed
pregnant women usually prohibit themselves from attending church activities can also
be surmised as effect that the respondents felt in the community.
5. With regards to the educational development of the respondents after pregnancy, a
very significant findings were shown in their strong agreement of 5 indicators namely; “ I
am hurt when I hear people talked about me; with a mean of 4.43; I find difficult to
attend school due to my pregnancy, with a mean of 4.41; I experience very low self-
esteem due to my pregnancy, with a mean of 4.30; I find it difficult to study because my
attention is focused on the baby with a mean of 4.27 and my priority is to look for a part
time job to support my baby with a mean of 4.23.
Therefore, the findings of the study, is clearly showed that the respondents
perception on the causes of teenage pregnancy. There’shave many causes of teenage
pregnancy are the following: family, the respondents agreed that their parents are not
open about using contraceptive at home; the data showed that teenagers learned about
sex from pornographic magazines, television, and internet, and community was also
considered causes of teenage pregnancy. There’s have many causes so that we need
to study before marriage or before early pregnancy, we need to think first.

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Foreign Literature
According to Singh, 2012, pregnancy can occur after menarche which usually
occurs around the age of 12 or 13 years. But, it does not signify that the girl’s body is
ready to give birth. If an adolescent girl becomes pregnant or gives birth. If an
adolescent girl becomes pregnant or gives birth before 19 years then it is known as
teenage pregnancy. It is high risk situation for both mother and child because of their
vulnerability to many health challenges.
As Ketting, 2012, mentioned reproductive health is a state of complete physical,
mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all
matters relating to the reproductive system and to its function and processes. This
implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the
capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so.
(www.bibalex.org>files)
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines teenage pregnancy as pregnancy
in which the mother is under the age of 20 at the time the pregnancy ends. About 16
million girls 15 to 19 years old and another 1 million girls under 15 give birth every year,
most in low-and-middle-income countries. Complications occurring during pregnancy
and labor represent the second most frequent cause of death in teenagers 15-16 years
of age. The babies born to this age group are at a higher risk at dying than those born to
women 20 to 24 years of age. (https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2017/9205016/)
In Nepal, tradition has allowed Nepalese women to begin child bearing in their
teens. Evidence shows that pregnancy after 18 years of age is in itself not a problem
because biologically a woman is most fertile at age of 18-22 years. However,
childbearing at adolescent can be problematic due to social and health consequences.
The focus is now on teenage pregnancy (TP) because of the beliefs that if we can
change the behavior pattern in the new generation of adolescent’s behaviors may be
reduced. May adolescents are exposing themselves to risky behaviors like, unprotected
sexual activities leading to teenage pregnancy (TP) however, does not only affect
women, it can have effects that lead to economic loss within the country due to
unemployment, dependency and poverty. (www.bibalex.org>files)

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Foreign Studies
The study in Nepal focus on demands on ARH as Nepalese adolescents (Akina
Shrestha) are involving in high risk behaviors resulting in problems like Teenage
Pregnancy and unsafe abortion. Adolescent are in urgent need to support and guidance
to avoid high risk behaviors. Hence, universal access to information skills for enabling
them makes informed choices is required,
Therefore, the best intervention strategy to address SRH need to adolescents is
providing comprehensive sexuality education with broad range topics and accessible,
affordable, acceptable AFHS with sexuality counseling targeting married, soon to be
married and unmarried adolescents. For reduction of TP, a comprehensive school,
home health facility, society’s interventions at large is required. Because most direct
determinant for sexual behavior in adolescent is determined by environment he/she
raised upon. Prevention should be evidence based on education program supported by
interventions among parents, partners, peers, societies and health system Nepal needs
to decide on mix of interventions and move forward to control the issue of teenage
pregnancy. (www.bibalex.org>files)

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