Kung kami'y mahal niyo, magplano : an evaluation of the family planning program in Los Baños, Laguna

Date

8-2014

Degree

Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

College

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Girlie Nora A. Abrigo

Abstract

In the context of the shift of the Family Planning program from a population control to a public health program with desirable demographic impact, a survey of eighty-four women from Los Baños, Laguna, who are aged 15-49 years old, was conducted in May 2014. Key informant interviews were conducted with barangay captains or councilors and barangay midwives or health workers to provide the context of the implementation of the program. The study aims to evaluate if the Family Planning program of the Department of Health helps women achieve the four guiding principles of the program - responsible parenthood, respect for life, birth spacing and informed choice. Using the data collected, the study identifies the characteristics of Filipino couples who avail of the Family Planning program determines the reasons why women avail of the program, analyzes the knowledge and behavior of women towards its four guiding principles and recommends ways on how to improve the implementation of the program. Relationship between the achievement of the guiding principles and the different categorical variables such as socio-demographic characteristics and scores on knowledge were tested using Fisher‟s Exact Test, Cramers‟ V and logistic regression. The top three reasons given by the respondents for using the family planning methods were: avoidance of unwanted pregnancy, not desiring to have another child, and meeting their desired birth spacing. Results also found that in general, most women in the program have high knowledge and have achieved the four guiding principles. Five variables were found to be related with the achievement of the guiding principles. Positive relationships of respect for life and the occupation of husbands and the couples‟ number of years being together before joining in the program and responsible parenthood were found in the study. Educational attainment and the number of children before joining the program were found to have diminishing marginal effects with responsible parenthood. As educational attainment of respondents and their number of children before joining the program increases, the proportion of women achieving the program‟s principle also increases, but as respondents reach the highest level of education and as couples reach the highest number of children before joining the program, the proportion of women achieving responsible parenthood decreases. Marital status or being married was found to have negative association with the achievement of responsible parenthood. The study recommends that counseling and providing health education by health centers should be improved by incorporating wider knowledge on family planning and its four guiding principles.

Language

English

Call Number

LG 993.5 2014 S7 /Y37

Notes

status: in process

loc: UPLB Main Library Cataloging Section

Document Type

Thesis

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