What do you think are the reasons of high unmet need of FP in the Philippines?
The reasons for the high unmet need of family planning in the Philippines revolves around two central ideas - that is the weak and inaccurate fertility preferences of reproductive-aged women and their partners along with poor contraceptive use. Some women are merely highly unmotivated hence not caring much on the concept of family planning. Others believe that they are incapable of perceiving or that their risk of pregnancy is low thus not dwelling too much on practicing contraception. Some women however express the desire to space births or avoid pregnancy yet don't abide by ways on how to do so due to various reasons; few of which are insufficient knowledge about different contraceptive methods, fear of potential health consequences, lack of adequate, cost-effective, and quality access to family planning services, the opposition of their husbands or the people around her along with the perception that the use of contraceptives is socially and culturally unacceptable. Therefore, the presence of these reasons goes to show that efforts concerning information, education, and communication should be strengthened in order to effectively address the obstacles to practicing family planning in the Philippines.
What are ways you can suggest to increase the practice of FP in the country? Give at least 1-2 suggestions.
Broadening access to a wide range of contraceptive choices
Having enough knowledge on the different contraceptive methods is highly critical to fulfilling the human right to family planning. Every woman deserves to have the opportunity to choose a family planning method that would work for her or suit her needs. Doing this necessitates addressing broader legal, policy, social, cultural, and structural barriers, as well as using systemic approaches in increasing the availability and quality of contraceptive counseling especially in the low-lying and geographically isolated areas in the country.
Encourage discussion of family planning information
Raising awareness is a simple yet effective way to address the deficiency in knowledge about family planning. We all know that the majority of people nowadays make use of social media platforms to be informed. Thus, through technology and media-based dissemination, we can help spread accurate, timely, and relevant information about the importance and benefits of family planning.
REFERENCE:
Casterline, J. B., Perez, A. E., & Biddlecom, A. E. (1997). Factors Underlying Unmet Need for Family Planning in the Philippines. Studies in Family Planning, 28(3), 173–191. https://doi.org/10.2307/2137886