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Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Caraga tops country in pre-marital sex
By Ben Serrano
* Docs say survey shows teens think they know more about sex
* Researchers also say drugs, vices linked to sex
BUTUAN CITY -- More than one third of nearly 200,000 of adolescent and young adults aged 15-24 in Caraga Region think they know enough about sex.
These were the results of the National Demographic and Health and the Young Adult Population Surveys undertaken in that region that was conducted since 2003.
According to Population Commission Regional Director Camilo Pangan of Caraga Region, this ranks Caraga Region number one in terms of pre-marital sex among young adults and teenagers among 16 regions in the country.
During a press conference on the launching of "Ligtas Buntis," health officials said this would make Caraga teenagers susceptible to premature pregnancies.
The "Ligtas Buntis" initiative is a joint project of DOH-Caraga Region, Population Commission (Popcom) and the Philippine Health Insurance (Phil. Health).
Health officials revealed there is a declining productivity among the Caraga youths in economic endeavors due to their increased involvement in sexual activities.
Of the more than one-third young population aged 15-24 years old involved in "pre-marital sex," 33 percent are male and 22 percent female.
In the 2000 census statistics the sex ratio was recorded at 105 males to every 100 females in Caraga region with the highest recorded in Agusan del Norte.
In that province there are 152 males for every 100 females engaged in pre-marital sex. The lowest is in the province of Surigao del Norte, where there are only 101 males for every 100 females.
The survey also showed that nearly 35 percent of young people smoked and 70 percent drank alcohol.
A rising trend of drug use was seen with 12 percent of boys and girls engaged in drugs. Rampant drug use is seen in high school and college making the region third in terms of drug use among youths all over the country.
Three out of ten young persons (30 percent) had premarital sex and three out of 10 young adolescent thought they had already girlfriends or boyfriends.
Researchers noted that the risk taking behavior among youths is not usually done in isolation are interlinked, i.e. those who smoke, drink, and used drugs are more likely to have sex.
(February 16, 2005 issue)
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