Caraga has one of highest rates of teen pregnancy

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – The Caraga region has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in the country, with Agusan del Norte having the highest number of teen mothers among the five provinces in the region, according to the Commission on Population (Popcom).

Alexander Makinano, officer-in-charge of the Popcom regional office, said 11.6 percent of minors aged 15 and above in the region are now mothers. Eleven percent of the number was recorded in Agusan del Norte.

In a joint press conference on Tuesday by Popcom and the Department of Health (DOH), Makinano said the percentage of young mothers aged 15 to 19 has more than doubled from 4.3 percent in 2006.

He said the number of minors who got pregnant at age 15 to 19 rose significantly from 7.2 percent in 2006 to 15 percent in 2011.

Meanwhile, the number of children born to women aged 40 to 49 has declined from five percent in 2006 to 4.7 percent in 2008 and to 4.1 percent in 2011.

Popcom records also show that a high number of married women and unmarried mothers in the region use contraceptives.

Makinano said the percentage of married women aged 15 to 49 who are currently using any method of family planning rose to 46.9 percent.

Of the number, 36.1 percent use modern family planning methods, with only 10.8 percent using the traditional method.

Popcom records show that the pill is the most widely used method of family planning in the region at 18.1 percent. It is followed by female sterilization at 9.3 percent; intra-uterine device (IUD), 8.8 percent; rhythm method, 7.2; withdrawal method, 6.4 percent; condom, 2.6 percent; and injectables, 2.4 percent.

Caraga is also among the regions in the country with a low percentage – 0.9 percent – of married women who oppose the use of contraceptives.

On the other hand, 11.8 percent of the total number of married women aged 15 to 49 admitted they lack knowledge of contraceptive methods.

Caraga used to be the poorest region in the country, but this year the National Economic Development Authority said it slid to the sixth spot.

The press conference was attended by Ernesto Pareja, chief of the local health support program of the DOH in Caraga.