BACKGROUND: The steady rise in the number of teenage pregnancies in Los Baños, Laguna was identified as a public health concern that needs to be addressed immediately given the numerous complications to the teenage mother and her infant.

METHODS: The study used a multicomponent strategy which included 1) a survey of Grades 7-12 students, 2) training of midwives, and 3) advocacy for parents to enhance existing projects on teenage pregnancy.

RESULTS: The survey showed that students value the opinion of friends of the same gender but prefer to get information from a health professional.

CONCLUSION: The students did not see their parents as a preferred source of information for sexual health. Approximately one-third of the respondents mistakingly believed that teenagers will never get pregnant during their first sexual encounter. Recommendations include training teachers to provide professional advice, inclusion of more schools for the survey, further training on other counselling techniques, and extension of advocacy to other pertinent sectors of the community.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Adolescent (a Person 13-18 Years Of Age) ; Pregnancy In Adolescence ; Public Health ; Sexual Behavior

The use of child restraints such as car seats or booster seats inevitability increases with the implementation of laws mandating its use in the general public. This is of great importance to child health and injury prevention as child restraint use has been shown to reduce the risk of serious injury by 71% to 82% for children less than 1-year-old, and 45% for children aged 4 to 8 years old.2,3 In terms of averting death, child restraints were associated with 28% reduction in risk for death.4 It has been found that using ageand size-appropriate child restraints is the best way to save lives and reduce injuries in a crash.5 It is reasonable, therefore, that one study that investigated the association between child restraint law implementation and traffic injury rate among 4 to 6 years old children in New York State found that these children experienced an 18% reduction in traffic injury rate. (See full-text for continuation).
Human ; Child Preschool (a Child Between The Ages Of 2 And 5) ; Pediatrics