Towards possible change: problems encountered in Philippine family planning program.

The Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP) was formed in 1969 as a voluntary private civic organization responsible for information education training research evaluation and medical and clinical services involving family planning. The Government of the Philippines at first did not have a favorable attitude toward family planning but has pushed it in recent years through the Department of Health. Together the government and the FPOP have boosted the family planning effort into a growing prospering movement in the 1970s. The slant of the information and education campaign has generally been toward couples married for a number of years and who usually have more than 2 children. While it is imperative they be reached by the campaign the slant should now be redirected toward newlyweds in an effort to counteract social prejudices against childlessness in the early years of marriage. Greater efforts need to be made at educating the population as to the dire effects of overpopulation and to their responsibilities to each other and to their country in that respect. Demographic concerns such as raising of legal age at marriage require greater attention. Materials used in the education process and worker techniques of motivation should be audience-/ and class-specific to be more effective. If an acceptor is not totally convinced changes are his or her continuation rate will be poor. Maternal and child health and maternal and infant mortality should remain crucial issues in any family planning program. More emphasis should be placed on the motivation of males as the males attitude has been found to be of paramount inportance to females in deciding to become acceptors. Improved technology in sterilization procedures such as the development of the reversible intravas device will make for more effective family planning as there is a stigma surrounding infertility in the Philippines and it is unlikely that a male or female would want to voluntarily become permanently infertile. Motivational activities of family planning workers should also be aimed at changing attitudes about total family size. Care should be taken not to overburden rural health units by making then totally responsible for family planning along with all their other duties.