Based on the statistics, there are males to females. According to the Young Adult Fertility Survey , there are Using the WHO definition of adolescence, adolescents aged years old comprise a significant portion of the Philippine population. In conceptualizing the characteristics of the period of adolescence, various themes have emerged from research done in this area Sobritchea and Ujano-Batangan , including:.
Adolescence as a period covering different age ranges. Some respondents defined this to be the period of years of age, while others pegged this at 13 to 24 years. Others differentiated between years as the teenage years, while years were described as the age of youth. Based on this, there seemed to be an ambiguity in defining which ages in particular are included in adolescence. Adolescence as a developmental stage characterized by particular, typical and shared developmental tasks and characteristics; variations of which are related to individual and contextual factors.
Adolescence as a point of transition from childhood to adulthood. Most respondents believe that adolescence is a point whereby the individual learns the necessary skills that are needed for dealing with adult concerns and challenges.
It is at the period of adolescence when Filipino males and females explore intimate and sexual relationships. Adolescence is a critical time for experimentation and risk taking. Among the 15 to 19 age group, Of those who had sex from the said age group, These results show that for a majority of these adolescents, their first sexual intercourse was either unplanned or against their will.
Very few of the respondents used some form of contraception during their first sexual coitus males: Furthermore, Males account for Most of the participants reported that they have engaged in such behaviours while still in school. Only This is a necessary step to ensure that services provided to them are appropriate and relevant, as the period of adolescence is also an opportune period for interventions which would allow young individuals to acquire the necessary cognitive, emotional and social skills necessary for addressing the demands of intimate and sexual relationships.
