Diane Santos’* then partner advised her to jump a couple of times and drink plenty of water after sex to expel sperm. She did what she was told. Unexpectedly for her, however, she still got pregnant.
Diane was one of the 119 girls Roots of Health selected to participate in a research project to assess contextual factors associated with teen pregnancy in Palawan, Philippines. She was later on selected again to be part of a smaller group of 23 girls. Like the other girls in the group, she participated in an in-depth interview where the research team asked her to share her relationships and experiences with her family, friends, and others that may have influenced her pregnancy.
Diane’s story (and the many other stories) underscores the urgent need for accurate and consistent access to sex education, increased access to reproductive health services, and more social support from families. The research also found that the lack of consent is a big issue amongst girls having sex for the first time.
These very same stories are front and center in the three reports developed by Roots of Health, with funding from EMPower and analytical support from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, that address the issue of teen pregnancy in the Philippines.
Unprepared: A Summary of Survey Findings on Teenage Pregnancy in Palawan, Philippines
In 2020, with support from EMpower’s Girls Fund program, ROH carried out a two-part quantitative and qualitative research project in order to better understand the risk factors that affect adolescent pregnancy. ROH issued an anonymous, self-administered survey to 119 adolescent women and girls who have had teen pregnancies in order to understand their unique situations before becoming pregnant and identify any common factors that generate a disproportionate risk of teen pregnancy for some.
The survey assessed risk factors experienced prior to pregnancy including participants’ family and household functioning, self-esteem, experiences with romantic and sexual relationships, and any risky behaviors that participants engaged in. Questions also covered girls’ experiences during their pregnancy including social and financial support, and their experiences accessing reproductive health services throughout their adolescence.
The results from this research are in this Quantitative Report.
I wish I didn’t get pregnant early: A Summary of Survey Findings From In-Depth Interviews on Teenage Pregnancy in Palawan, Philippines
“I had thought about using contraceptives, but my boyfriend kept telling me that he guarantees that I won’t get pregnant, and I believed it,” Diane shared.
After giving birth, her boyfriend was initially supportive of the child but eventually stopped providing support. “He now lives with a different family of his own, and I did not take his surname for my child.”
A deeper dive into the young women and girls’ lived experiences is detailed in the qualitative data analysis report, which provides a better understanding of adolescent women and girls’ unique situations before becoming pregnant, including factors such as their family and household functioning, self-esteem, experiences with romantic and sexual relationships, and their ability to access health services.
Based on in-depth interviews with 23 women and girls who had teen pregnancies, including a thematic analysis from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, this report details girls’ experiences with their families, friends, partners, and health systems before, during, and after their pregnancies.
Read the results from the interviews and the analysis in this Qualitative Report.
What We Could Have Done Differently: In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms and Key Recommendations to Reduce Teen Pregnancy
Diane’s experience, among many, highlights the youth’s lack of information on sexual and reproductive health, exacerbated by unequal power dynamics in relationships and lack of access to youth-friendly contraceptive services.
Based on the data generated from the two studies, ROH identified key recommendations for the major stakeholders in the fight to reduce teen pregnancy. These recommendations are divided up by relevance to each of the stakeholder groups.
“We crafted a comprehensive Advocacy Toolkit in order to effectively use what we learned from our research to better support adolescent women and girls,” said Amina Evangelista Swanepoel, ROH Founding Executive Director.
“This third report highlights several different issue areas that affect women and girls. It identifies possible steps that stakeholders such as parents, the Department of Education, and the Department of Health, can take to help strengthen teen pregnancy prevention programs.”
Access recommendations and additional resources in the Advocacy Toolkits.
With a deeper understanding of teen pregnancy and what policy stakeholders and gatekeepers can do to address it, Roots of Health hopes that young girls like Diane will no longer have to deal with the physical and mental health risks, social stigma, and socioeconomic disenfranchisement that an early unplanned pregnancy may entail.
MESSAGES FROM PARTNERS
Kundhavi Balachandran, EMpower Program Officer East and Southeast Asia
“Carrying out an analysis of this magnitude at any time would have been impressive, but doing this amidst the global pandemic, whilst juggling many other existential priorities and the limitations of face-to-face interactions is truly commendable.”
“EMpower is delighted that our partner Roots of Health is reaching yet another milestone in their work in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights with the launch of the ‘Teen Pregnancy Report’. We look forward to reading the full report and have a better understanding of the issue from the perspective of the girls and young women, and what could be done to increase their safety, autonomy, and opportunities to reach their full potential, ”
Raisa Santos, Preethika Sundararaj, and Amy Willerford, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
“Empowering adolescent women requires we listen to their stories to gain perspective of what they need to lead their healthiest and most successful lives. It also requires comprehensive sexual education that engages not only adolescent women, but men as well, emphasizing the importance of consent and autonomy for women in making informed decisions regarding their sexual health. We are delighted to have been a part of this essential work to enhance our collective approach to meeting the social and health needs of adolescents in the Philippines throughout their lifetime.”
*not her real name
ABOUT UGAT NG KALUSUGAN / ROOTS OF HEALTH
Ugat ng Kalusugan (Roots of Health), founded in 2009, works to empower women, young people and families in Palawan, Philippines to lead healthy reproductive lives by providing rights- and results-based educational and clinical services. The organization improves women’s and young people’s reproductive health and decreases the number of unplanned pregnancies and HIV incidence by providing sexuality health education and access to modern contraceptives through a clinical services program.
Since its inception in 2009 and through the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, Roots of Health has positively impacted the lives of more than 171,000 women and young people by improving their reproductive health and decreasing the number of unplanned pregnancies and HIV incidence through comprehensive sexuality education and access to modern contraceptives through a clinical services program.
ABOUT EMPOWER
EMpower sits at the nexus of two worlds — finance and youth leadership — where they put smart money behind smart solutions.
EMpower has been weaving these contributions together for 20 years — and they’re just getting started. Their work today builds upon the best of their legacy: high-touch connections, locally-driven grant making and a curation of global best practices. As they move into the next decade, they are deepening their impact through more and bigger grants, made better through youth-centered decision making and an expanded footprint on the ground. At a time when our world needs shared efforts more than ever, EMpower is proud to connect many forces for change to create a better world.
ABOUT THE MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
For nearly 100 years, the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health has been a global leader in advancing education, research and practice to prevent disease and disability and improve the health of entire populations. Since 1922, the Mailman School has been at the forefront of public health research, education, and community collaboration. Addressing everything from chronic disease to HIV/AIDS to healthcare policy, the School tackles today’s pressing public health issues, translating research into action.
Every year, Roots of Health hosts graduate students from the Mailman School for their practicum field placement. This is an opportunity for students to apply the concepts and methods of social science and public health learned in the classroom to actual public health problems.
