THE Department of Health yesterday sounded the alarm on the high incidence of teenage pregnancy in the country, particularly among those 15 years old and younger.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the high incidence of teen pregnancy raises the risks of “maternal mortality.”
“We have a big problem with teenage pregnancy. They contribute to maternal mortality because they don’t undergo prenatal care. They are at a high risk of eclampsia and hemorrhage at childbirth,” he said in an interview.
“If we control that, we will actually be able to decrease maternal mortality,” he added.
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Herbosa said that in 2020, 39.39 per 100,000 children below 15 years got pregnant. The number grew to 44.06 in 2021, and to 59.34 in 2022, based on PSA data.
Herbosa said the surge in teen pregnancy may be attributed to the exposure of the youth to social media.
“Our children are already exposed to the internet. What we discovered is that internet was a big influence on the sexual behavior of our teens,” he said.
He said another factor in high teenage pregnancy is related to socioeconomics, particularly poverty incidence.
“Many in the lower socioeconomic classes, they want to get married early so that they can escape poverty,” said Herbosa.
