Maryhill College, Inc.

STUDENTS’ AWARENESS ON THE USE OF CONTRACEPTIVES AND

CONDOMS IN PREVENTING EARLY PREGNANCY

A Research Paper

Presented to:

Ms. Marjorie D. Umali

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for

Practical Research 1

Jean Francel R. Paderon

Aleeza Mari M. Nuneza

Mark Zyrus Alcala

Ahron Tristan Oriel

Grade 11 STEM - Courage

April 2023

CHAPTER 1

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INTRODUCTION
This chapter contains an introduction to the research problem as well as the

formulation of the research questions. In addition, the theoretical framework, conceptual

framework, significance and purpose of the study, scope and delimitations, and

definitions of terms presented in the study are all included.

Background of the study

In 2021, an estimated 14% of adolescent girls and young women will give birth

before the age of 18. Early childbearing, or pregnancy and delivery during adolescence,

can jeopardize adolescent girls' otherwise healthy development into adulthood, negatively

impacting their education, livelihoods, and health. Many pregnant girls are pressured or

forced to drop out of school, affecting their educational and employment prospects and

opportunities. Early pregnancy and childbearing can also have negative social

consequences for girls, such as lower social status in the home and community,

stigmatization, rejection, and violence from family members, peers, and partners, and

early and forced marriage (UNICEF, 2022). Furthermore, progress in reducing adolescent

first births among these and other vulnerable groups is slow, resulting in increased

inequity. Child marriage and child sexual abuse put girls at an increased risk of

unintended pregnancy. Adolescents are prevented from avoiding unintended pregnancies

in many places due to barriers to obtaining and using contraception (World Health

Organization, 2022).

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According to the Population Commission (POPCOM), 24 babies are born to

teenage mothers every hour. Every year, approximately 200,000 Filipino teenagers, most

of whom are between the ages of 15 and 19, become pregnant. In data comparing 2011

and 2018, there was also a 63% increase in the number of births delivered by 10- to 14-

year-old teenage mothers (Bunag, 2023). Though teen pregnancy has long been a

problem in the Philippines, the government has recently called for better methods to

reduce the number, as the numbers continue to rise despite efforts. President Rodrigo

Duterte declared teen pregnancy prevention a "national priority" in Executive Order 141

in June, calling for measures to address the issue, including strengthening sexual

education so that adolescents can make more informed decisions. In 2019, the number of

births to teen mothers reached 495 per day. According to Save the Children's 2019 Global

Childhood Report, teen pregnancy affects nearly 6% of Filipino girls, the second-highest

rate in Southeast Asia (Cudis, 2021).

According to the Commission on Population and Development (PopCom),

8,085,000 Filipinos used modern birth control methods in 2020, a 6% increase from

2019. However, reproductive health in the Philippines is a multifaceted issue, as teenage

pregnancy remains prevalent, and not all women in the Philippines have control over

their own bodies. Abad (2021) states that minors cannot access birth control methods or

services in government health facilities unless they have permission from their parents.

When it comes to contraception, adolescents and young adults (AYA) continue to face

access, awareness, and knowledge barriers. Our findings highlight the importance of

comprehensive contraception education initiatives.

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Statement of the problem

This study seeks to analyze students’ awareness of the use of contraceptives and

condoms in preventing early pregnancy.

Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of the student?

I. Name

II. Grade Level and Section

III. Age

IV. Sex

2. Was the student knowledgeable about sexual education?

3. Is the student knowledgeable about these terms and how they are used?

I. Birth Control methods

II. Condoms

III. Contraceptives

IV. Early Pregnancy

V. HIV

3. Is the student sexually active or participating in any sexual activities?

4. Does the student know how to make use of any of these contraception

methods?

I. Birth Control Pills

II. Condoms

III. UID

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IV. Contraception Injections

V. Etc.

5. Is the student aware of the risks and dangers of early pregnancy?

6. Does the student think that use of contraception is important and beneficial?

Theoretical framework

Figure 1: The Health Belief Model

The theoretical framework focuses on expert-developed theories. There are some

theories relevant to the current study that seek to explain and support the research report's

possible interpretation.

This study is anchored in the model in Figure 1, which is predicated on the idea

that a person's willingness to change their health behaviors is primarily determined by

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their health perceptions. Individual beliefs about health and health conditions, according

to this model, influence your health-related behaviors. Scientists use the Health Belief

Model (HBM) to try to predict health behaviors. It was created in the 1950s and updated

in the 1980s.

The Health Belief Model is made up of six major components. When the theory

was first developed, four of these constructs were central tenets. Two were added in

response to addiction-related research on the model. The perceived seriousness is the

likelihood that a person will change their health behaviors in order to avoid a

consequence is proportional to how serious they believe the consequences will be. In

perceived susceptibility, people will not change their health habits unless they believe

they are in danger. Perceived benefits show that people are unwilling to give up

something they enjoy unless they receive something in return. Perceived barriers like

amount of effort needed, danger, expense, and social consequences are also reasons why

people do not change their health behaviors. One of the most appealing aspects of the

Health Belief Model is the way it frames people's behaviors. It acknowledges that simply

wanting to change a health behavior isn't always enough to motivate someone to do so.

As a result, it includes two more elements that are required to persuade someone to take

the plunge. Cues to action and self-efficacy are the two components. (Boskey, 2023)

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Conceptual framework

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

- Demographic - Gathering data and - An infomercial that

profile of the information
student - Formulating promotes the
knowledgeable about questions
sexual education - Analyzing the use importance of
- Students’ of contraceptives
knowledge about and condoms contraceptive and
the terms and use - Interpretation of
of: statistical data condoms that will
● Birth Control
methods raise the students’
● Condoms
● Contraceptives awareness on early
● Early Pregnancy
● HIV pregnancy

- Students' sexual prevention

activeness
- Students'
knowledge on the
use of contraception
- Students' awareness
on the risks and
dangers of early
pregnancy
- Importance and
benefits of
contraception
according to
students

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Figure 2: Students’ Awareness on The Use of Contraceptives and Condoms In

Preventing Early Pregnancy

Figure 2 illustrates the flow of the research using the input-process-output

framework in conducting the study. The researchers provided input by answering several

questions from the problem statement. It explained the use of contraceptives and

condoms by students to prevent early pregnancy. It also determined their significance.

During the process, the researchers carried out the various step-by-step procedures

required for the study. It demonstrates how to solve the problem. The study's process is

what will lead to this study serving its intended purpose. Finally, the study's output

displays the study's findings. This output will contain responses regarding student

awareness regarding early pregnancy prevention using contraceptives and condoms.

Significance of the Study

The study will help the students gain more knowledge about preventing early

pregnancy and can protect teenagers from the physical, emotional, and financial burden

of an unplanned pregnancy. The children of teenage mothers are more likely to have

lower school achievement, to drop out of high school, to have more health problems, to

be incarcerated at some point during adolescence, to give birth as a teenager, and to face

unemployment as a young adult. The appropriate use of contraceptives will reduce the

prevalence of unwanted pregnancies and unsafely induced abortions, as well as limit the

incidence of associated complications. By reducing rates of unintended pregnancies,

contraception also reduces the need for unsafe abortion and reduces HIV transmissions

from mothers to newborns. Contraceptive information and services are fundamental to

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the health and human rights of all individuals. The prevention of unintended pregnancies

helps to lower maternal ill-health and the number of pregnancy-related deaths.

This study will be beneficial to the following:

The research will be able to update members and students from sources with accurate

and complete information on how students improve their knowledge in preventing early

pregnancy.

It will assist researchers in learning more about the awareness of using

contraceptives and condoms when it comes to preventing early pregnancy.

This study can help teenagers learn how to prevent early pregnancy, as well as

how this research can help teenagers become more responsible and obtain more accurate

information about this awareness.

It will serve as a guide for future researchers to improve their studies by using this

research as a reference and gaining some ideas on how to create or conduct research.

Scope and Delimitations

This study is primarily concerned with the students’ awareness on the use of

condoms and contraceptives in preventing early pregnancy. The study considered the

crucial information on the students’ demographic profile such as the grade level, age, and

sex. However, The study is limited to the high school students of Maryhill College

located in Lucena City.

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The data will be collected within the year 2023. To complete the study, the

researchers will conduct surveys using questionnaires as the instrument to collect data

and information.

Definition of Terms

The terms below are conceptually and operationally detailed for a clear

understanding of the study.

Contraceptives - refers to the deliberate prevention of conception or impregnation

Condoms - known as a device that is designed to be inserted into the vagina before coitus

and that resembles in form and function the condom used by males to avoid pregnancy or

venereal infection during coitus.

Teen/early pregnancy - defines a pregnancy in which a woman 19 years of age or

younger can get.

Birth control - refers to the control of the number of children or offspring born,

particularly through prevention or reduction in the frequency of conception.

Adolescents - a young person maturing into an adult.

Sex education - defined as the school-based education that promotes an understanding of

sexual intercourse and reproduction

HIV - refers to a virus that attacks cells in the body that help the body fight infection,

making a person more susceptible to other infections and diseases.

Awareness - it is the state or quality of being aware, defined as the knowledge and

comprehension that something is happening or exists

Prevention - defined as the act of preventing something from happening or emerging.

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