Awareness And Attitudes Towards Contraceptives Among Teenagers Of Barangay Cogon, Tagbilaran City, Bohol

Abstract

Despite a decline in national prevalence in teenage pregnancy, it remains a persistent public health concern in the Philippines. Awareness and attitude on the use of contraceptives are important factors in addressing the rise in teenage pregnancy, especially since the adolescent period is the stage where individuals are risk takers and sexual desire towards the opposite sex is at its peak, which may lead to premarital sex that results in teenage pregnancy. However, the use of contraceptives among unmarried Filipino individuals is still considered unacceptable in the community; thus this study was conducted to assess the level of awareness and attitudes toward contraceptives among teenagers in Barangay Cogon, Tagbilaran City, Bohol. A descriptive quantitative research design was employed with 318 respondents aged 15–19 years, including both in-school and out-of-school youth. Data were collected using validated questionnaires to assess respondents' awareness and attitudes toward the use of contraceptives. Reliability testing yielded acceptable Cronbach's alpha values (.859 for awareness and .88 for attitude. The gathered data were tested for normality and statistically analyzed. Results indicated that respondents demonstrated moderate awareness (composite mean = 2.92) and a moderately positive attitude toward contraceptives (composite mean = 2.81). Significant relationships were found between demographic variables (age, sex, and educational status) and both awareness and attitude (p < .05). A significant positive correlation was also observed between awareness and attitude toward contraceptives (p < .001).