INTRODUCTION: Despite establishing immunization as an effective approach, the number of deaths from immunizable diseases among 0 to 14 years old remained high in 2012. This prompted the researchers to determine the knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers/caregivers regarding the immunization of their children. METHODS: The research utilized a descriptive cross-sectional design. An interviewer-guided validated questionnaire was administered to mothers and caregivers with at least one child 12 months or younger who was eligible for immunization. RESULTS: Around half of the 211 respondents were aged 20-35 years old, married and living in their own home. A large percentage were unemployed, and the highest educational attainment was high school. Most respondents had one child in care undergoing immunization, mostly in a health center. Results showed that all respondents scored below the MPL for knowledge. For attitude, all scored above the MPL. Only 45.02% of mothers/caregivers scored above the MPL for practices. CONCLUSION Despite poor knowledge, mothers and caregivers displayed good attitude towards immunization, however this did not translate into bringing their children for vaccination.
Immunization

OBJECTIVE

Epidemiological studies on the prevalence and management of depression are limited in the Philippines. This review aimed to assess the prevalence of depression in the Philippines and explore the distribution of patient journey touchpoints including awareness, screening, diagnosis, treatment, adherence, and remission of depression.

METHODS

A structured literature search was conducted in the Medline, Embase, Biosis, and HERDIN PLUS databases to identify records published in English between 01 January 2010 and 31 December 2019 that reported key patient journey touchpoints in depression management in the Philippines. An unstructured literature search was conducted in public or government websites with no date restriction. Data from all sources were extracted and presented descriptively.

RESULTS

Of the 348 records retrieved, one article was included in the final analysis. The prevalence of depression was reported to be 3.34% in the Philippines. There was no data available on any of the identified patient journey touchpoints in depression.

CONCLUSION

The study findings highlight the need for more evidence-based studies in the Philippines to accurately understand the complexity of patient journey in patients with depression. This in turn can help in optimizing resource utilization, providing guidance for clinical practice, and health care reforms in the Philippines.

Depression ; Prevalence ; Philippines

Introduction: Literature shows that infant distress and care-giving can be sources of stress of primary care givers, especially for first-time mothers. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of Dunstan baby Language in decreasing parenting stress among first time mothers compared with those receiving standard newborn care alone. Methods: This research utilized a quasi-experimental approach, where 18 first-time mothers with babies 0-2 months old were allocated to receive standard care plus Dunstan baby language training or standard care alone. Maternal stress was measured at baseline and after the intervention period with the Parental Stress Scale. The scores were compared within and between the two study arms. A repeated measures mixed model was used for the Parental Stress Scale (PSS) results. Results: A total of 27 participants were enrolled in the study. The Dunstan baby language group had 18 participants, while the control group had 9 participants. An apparent decrease was noted in the week 1 to week 2 and the week 2 to week 3 Parental Stress Scale scores in the Dunstan baby language group compared with the control group which had minimal changes in their mean scores. The mean difference between the two groups was not significant. Conclusion The use of Dunstan baby language in addition to standard care may decrease stress among first time mothers with 0-2 month old babies.
Parenting