Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE
INTRODUCTION
Rationale of the Study
Adolescent or teenage pregnancy is defined as the occurrence of pregnancy in
girls aged 10 to 19. Adolescence is the period between 10 and 19 years with peculiar
physical, social, psychological and reproductive health characteristics. Rates of
adolescent pregnancy are increasing in developing countries, with higher occurrences of
adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes (Kassa, Arowojolu & Odukogbe ,2018).
Adolescent pregnancies are a global problem occurring in high-, middle-, and low-
income countries. Around the world, however, adolescent pregnancies are more likely to
occur in marginalized communities, commonly driven by poverty and lack of education
and employment opportunities (WHO,2020).
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus diseases-2019
(COVID-19) as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. Disruption of schools as a non-
pharmaceutical intervention to arrest the pandemic has been depicted as a contributing
factor to increased teenage pregnancy rates during the pandemic. In Uganda, the number
of adolescent pregnancies reportedly doubled in the Nwoya district when comparing
January to March and April to June 2020 trends (Edwards, 2020). In the country of
Malawi July 2020, the Health Principal Secretary noted a potential 35 percent increase in
the number of pregnancies among young girls ages 10 to 19 in the first half of 2020,
compared to a year earlier (Davies, 2020)
In the context of COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, where there are 7.3
million Filipinos who lost their jobs and where schools had been closed since March
2020, there are concerns such as young girls being vulnerable to early pregnancy since
they are out of their usual protective physical setting of the school environment
(Daquioag,2021). A combined study by the University of the Philippines and the United
Nations Population Fund revealed a 42-percent increase in unintended pregnancies and 67-
percent hike in unmet family planning needs among Filipino women, with one out of 10 of them
still in their teens (Mendoza, 2021). Citing national data from the PSA, PopCom said the
number of adolescent girls 15 years old or younger who gave birth in 2019 rose by 7
percent from the previous year. In 2019, at least 2,411 girls aged 10 to 14 years old gave
birth, or an average of about seven giving birth every day. Their number had risen
threefold since 2000 when 755 gave birth (Pazzibugan,2021).
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked unprecedented havoc on children, families
and communities around the globe, disrupting vital services and putting millions of lives
at risk. School closures during crises can result girls spending more time with men and
boys than they would were they to be in school, leading to greater likelihood of
engagement in risky sexual behavior and increased risk sexual violence and exploitation
(World vision,2020). In this study the researchers will look how pandemic affects on
every teenager’s life in some barangays in Consolacion Cebu City. On most cases
teenage births result in health consequences; children are more likely to be born pre-term,
have lower birth weight, and higher neonatal mortality, while mothers experience greater
rates of post-partum depression and are less likely to initiate breastfeeding. Teenage
mothers are less likely to complete high school, are more likely to live in poverty, and
have children who frequently experience health and developmental problems.
Understanding the risk factors for teenage pregnancy is a prerequisite for reducing
rates of teenage motherhood. Various social and biological factors influence the odds of
teenage pregnancy; these include exposure to adversity during childhood and
adolescence, a family history of teenage pregnancy, conduct and attention problems,
family instability, and low educational achievement (Weiler, Roos & Nickel, 2016).
Education is one way a young girl or woman can empower themselves to become
financially independent. Becoming a mother at a very young age affect
your future. Healthcare is expensive and often adds a further financial burden on the
family of the pregnant teenager (Westerncape, 2018).
This research shows the majority of teenage pregnancies in this pandemic. Even
before the crisis or pandemic, girls and young women in the Philippines and worldwide
faced great challenges in accessing essential health information and services. Now, amid
a pandemic that affects even the toughest health systems, there is a real risk that sexual
and reproductive health and rights will be penalized, with devastating consequences for
girls and women.
According to the WHO, complications relating to pregnancy and childbirth are
already the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19 globally. Pregnant girls and young
mothers face even greater risks in crises such as the ongoing pandemic.
Lastly, the reason why the researchers conduct this research is to help and educate
young mothers, teenagers (boys and girl), young women, young man, and even parents in
some barangays in Consolacion Cebu City about teenage pregnancy. Teenage Pregnancy
is one of the biggest problems in our society even before pandemic. And this Pandemic
leads to increase of teenage pregnancy and unwanted Pregnancy in the world.
Therefore, there is a need for completion on this paper because it can help young
men and women in some barangays in Consolacion Cebu to potentially aware of the risks
of becoming a parent at early age, and as an alternative solution it is recommended for
them to be aware and well-educated on the method of birth control.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Journal
Who.int. 2021. Adolescent pregnancy. [online] Available at: https:
//www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy
Cherry, a. and Dillon, m., 2021. Teenage Pregnancy. [online] oxford bibliographies.
Available at: https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-
9780199791231/obo-9780199791231-0111.xml
Daquioag, J., 2021. What causes early pregnancy in the Philippines during the
pandemic? [online] NRCP. Available at: https://nrcp.dost.gov.ph/latest-news/683-
what-causes-early-pregnancy-in-the-philippines-during-the-pandemic
Pazzibugan, D., 2021. Teen pregnancies could rise during pandemic – Popcom. [online]
INQUIRER.net. Available at: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1394522/popcom-
covid-curbs-could-worsen-teen-pregnancies
ReliefWeb. 2021. COVID-19 Aftershocks: Access denied: teenage pregnancy threatens
to block a million girls across sub-Saharan Africa from returning to school -
World. [online] Available at: https://reliefweb.int/report/world/covid-19-
aftershocks-access-denied-teenage-pregnancy-threatens-block-million-girls
Western Cape Government. 2021. Teenage pregnancy. [online] Available at:
https://www.westerncape.gov.za/general-publication/teenage-pregnancy
Published Article
Kassa, G., Arowojolu, A., Odukogbe, A. and Yalew, A., 2021. Prevalence and
determinants of adolescent pregnancy in Africa: a systematic review and Meta-
analysis. reprod Health 15, 195 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-018-
0640-2
Michael Mncedisi Willie. (2021). Teenage Pregnancy During a Pandemic. Int J Women’s
Health Care, 6(3), 218-219.
Cherry, a. and Dillon, m., 2021. Teenage Pregnancy. [online] oxford bibliographies.
Available at: https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-
9780199791231/obo-9780199791231-0111.xml
