Purpose of Getting Married

Couples have different reasons for getting married. There are people who decide to get married because of the following reasons:

1. They are socially pressured.

2. One of the couple or both want to escape from their problems at home.

3. The girl is pregnant.

4. They are madly in love with each other.

5. They want to build a family of their own.

6. They are emotionally and socially mature to face and handle responsibilities.

Whatever reasons the couples have, they must realize that marriage is the first phase of the family cycle. They must know that they will enter into a legal agreement that includes shared property, financial plans, and responsibility in raising their children. Marriage is the most traditional and socially accepted accepted form of committed relationship.

Couples have different purposes for having children. Some of their reasons are:

· To have a son/ daughter to love

· To pass on the family name

· To give in to pressure from family/friends

· To give stability to their relationship

· To have security and somebody to take care of them when they grow old

· To have somebody to help them improve their economic status

· To show their masculinity and femininity

· To build a model family

· To be responsible parents

Family Size

It is very important to plan the size of the family. With the present problems brought about by overpopulation, parents need to plan the size of their families. In which, parents should limit their family to a number of children they can adequately support and care.

Children need parental care, attention and affection. They should not be deprived of these basic responsibilities their parents should give.

Responsibilities of Parents and Children to each other

Parenting is a great responsibility and a demanding job that many parents are not truly prepared when they enter into it. Regardless of the couple’s lifestyle, the preparation to become a parent involves proper planning. There are things to be considered before deciding to raise a family.

Parents have the right to raise their children, but children also have rights that parents should have to uphold. These are the rights:

1. The right to be born well
2. The right to have a wholesome family
3. The right to have proper nutrition, adequate clothing, sufficient shelter, and proper medical attention
4. The right to have education and personal development
5. The right to have material security
6. The right to be loved, cared of, guided and counseled by parents and elders

Parents are expected to perform their primary responsibilities such as:

1. Physical care- parents must take care of the child and help the child pass each stage of growth and development successfully and grow as a normal and healthy individual

2. Inculcating discipline- disciplining their child is responsibility of both parents. It should start early; defined set of rules must be established.

3. Providing experience to develop social competence- parents must provide their children opportunities for education/learning- parents must help their children develop their potentials. Parents must find time to teach their children aside from sending them to school.

4. Training the children to be a good member of the society – basic training to follow order, to cooperate in worthwhile activities, to be a sport, to be self-sufficient and to have self discipline. As the children grow, the values they learn at home are carried over to the community

5. Training the children to be responsible- parents must give their children simple tasks

Family Planning

Overpopulation affects the country’s development and the quality of life of every family. Limiting the size of the family will give each member a chance to attain quality life. It will also help solve the problem of overpopulation.


Family planning means:

1. Helping couples decide how many children to have.
2. Helping couples choose the year spacing between their children.
3. Helping those couples who do not have children to conceive and have children.
4. Counseling parents and would-be-parents.



In family planning, the couples choose for themselves the number of children they want. They choose the timing and spacing of the children born to them. Family planning is personal decision of both husband and wife. They both plan when to have children and see to it that they can take care of them.

Family Planning

Overpopulation affects the country’s development and the quality of life of every family. Limiting the size of the family will give each member a chance to attain quality life. It will also help solve the problem of overpopulation.


Family planning means:
1. Helping couples decide how many children to have.
2. Helping couples choose the year spacing between their children.
3. Helping those couples who do not have children to conceive and have children.
4. Counseling parents and would-be-parents.

Importance of Family Planning

Family planning is very important in building a happy family and it contributes to they country’s development. In the Philippines our concept of family planning is responsible parenthood and contraception.

Family planning is a preparation for responsible parenthood. Parents who want to have harmony among family members need to plan the number of children they can support and take care of well. Parents consider family planning to space pregnancies, limit family size, and delay childbearing. Family planning protects the health of the mother and the children. It can protect the health of the father as well, since it limits the responsibility of the father to support the family size he can only afford.

Family planning can help the mother who wishes to pursue careers or other activities where unplanned pregnancies would be very difficult. In terms of emotional and financial stability, parents who plan the number of children tend to achieve this status of stability. They are better off and happier compared to those who do not plan and have too many children they cannot afford to support.

Different Aspects Related to Family Planning

Family planning is a decision of both the husband and the wife. It is a decision based on their religion and culture. Couples are free to choose the methods on how they will plan the family. Family planning is a private decision of couples. It is a freedom because they choose for themselves the number of children they wish and the time of birth they want.

Family planning can help make possible a better diet for all the members of the family. Proper nutrition contributes to good physical development of children. Physically, parents can perform well in their jobs and children in their school if they are well-nourished. Parents need to consider the physical aspect in their decision to have family planning.

Family planning contributes to the emotional stability of the family. When all the members of the family are contented with their lives and they are living in an environment founded on love, emotional stability can be achieved.

Parents plan the number of children they want because they want to give the best to their children. Developing the innate talents and abilities of children to the fullest is the responsibility of parents. Aside from teaching them at home, they can send the children to the school for intellectual development. Parents also who may want to pursue further studies can do if there is proper planning in the family. They can give each other the time needed for intellectual growth.

Population Programs to Achieve Ideal Family Size

Rapid population growth greatly affects the economic and social development of a country. To lessen the problems and to improve the quality of life of the people, there are population programs that help achieve the economic goals of the country.

The Philippine Population Management Program (PPMP) is undertaking several activities for the welfare of all Filipino families. It includes the following programs/activities or key concerns:
Create awareness about the inter-relationships among population, resources, and environment.
Implement the Philippine Family Planning Programs and make an easy access to family planning information and services.
Integrate population concerns into socio-economic efforts of the national, regional, sectoral, and local government to achieve the country’s development goals.
Adopt national land use policies and the development of regional growth areas.

How Advertising Influences Consumer’s Choice

Thousands of products are promoted through advertisements. Radio, television, and commercials are forms of advertisements. Printed advertisements are seen in magazines, broadsheets, tabloids, and billboards. It makes people aware of different products and services available. However, not all ads give the helpful information you need about the products or services.
Knowing some advertising techniques and how ads are trying to convince consumers will help you in making wise consumer’s choice. Some of these techniques are the following:

1. Bandwagon Appeal - this shows people using products and shows that “everyone” uses and likes the product.
2. Reward Appeal- ads offer something for free if you buy the product. The gift could be a toy, stamp, coupon, or something else.
3. Scientific Claims- this technique is done by claiming that experts and scientific information backup of the product.
4. Testimonial Appeal- this uses or shows famous people using or with the product.
5. Unclear Statement- this technique uses statement that is not explained or that can be interpreted in different ways.
6. Flattery- This technique tries to convince you to buy a product by complimenting you, that you are a special person who will want a special product.
7. Humor Appeal- this technique uses a slogan, jingle, or cartoon to advertise the products.

Remember, the decision is yours. Decide if the ads contain useful facts or information. You are a wise consumer if you know how to judge or evaluate the products you purchase.

Quackery and Health Fads

Do you spend your money wisely, or do you just buy products that are fads? There are activities, health-related items that are very popular for a while. There are diet plans, food supplements, organic foods, and many more. Some health fads are not useful and not safe. Consumers must think carefully before buying products that are fads. Fads are very popular for a short period of time. Investing too much on fads is unwise.

Quackery is another problem that besets consumers. It is the practice of dishonest person who deliberately takes advantage of consumers by pretending to have medical knowledge or skills. The person who is practicing quackery is called a quack.

Here are some signs of health quackery. If you see these phrases on their advertisements or if you hear these from a person endorsing or p[providing treatment then suspect quackery.

1. cure all disease or guaranteed cure
2. no other person/agency has it or not available anywhere
3. not accepted by medical professionals
4. secret remedies or quick cure
5. painless cures
6. better than any other products/treatments

Proper health knowledge is your best protection as consumer against quackery.

Importance of Traditional Medicine

There are traditional medicines provided by herbalists or herbal medicine practitioners like the hilot and albularyo. Some legitimate traditional herbal medicine practitioners practice within the limitations of their training. Some of them have their training under the Department of Health.

Herbalists base their health treatments on the medicinal qualities of plants. Plants have been used for medicinal purposes since our earliest beginnings. Today, plants are used in many commercially prepared drug preparations as capsules, tablets, or syrups after extensive analysis or studies.
Medicinal plants like: lagundi, oregano, sorosoro, guave leaves offer an alternative for costly medicines. The use of these plants have scientific basis and we have many of these plants available in our backyards.

The hilot and albularyo are also important herbal medicine practitioners in the community especially in areas with no doctor, midwife, and other health professionals, provided that they do not go beyond their limitations. Diseases that need medical; treatment should be referred to proper medical specialists.

Remember that careful analysis of the treatment procedure and relative risks to the patient should always be considered.

Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Consumer

All consumers must know their rights and responsibilities regardless of how much assistance is available, the ultimate responsibility for your health rests in you. It is your responsibility as a consumer to be:

1. knowledgeable about health information
2. informed about health-care specialists, services, and agencies available
3. assertive in exercising your rights and protecting your interests; and
4. more alert and ask appropriate questions when necessary.

Consumers have basic rights. The right to be protected from the selling dangerous and unsafe products, the right to be protected from misleading information, and their right to speak out when not satisfied with the products or services.

Consumers must know where to go for any complaint. The Department of Health, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Trade and Industry are some of the government agencies that protect the consumers in many ways.

Health Services and Health Programs

It is important to know the health services available in our community. These services are concerned with the disease prevention and in the maintenance and promotion of health. Health programs are also important in maintaining and promoting one’s health. The health insurance is the answer to growing health care problems. There are two types of health care insurance programs, the public and the private programs. The Government Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS) are both concerned with the health care of employees. GSIS is for government employees while SSS is for private employees. They pay for medical services rendered to the members. Philhealth is another program that helps all members and their dependents who have been hospitalized.

There are private health programs that protect people from the high costs of medical care. The Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) is the most common prepaid plan. This prepaid health care provides health services such as office visits or consultations, diagnostic tests, paid for in advance. HMOs emphasize preventive medicine such as providing periodic health checkup to all members.

Substance Abuse, Prevention, and Control (Narcotics)

Drugs are chemicals that change the way the body works. Some drugs can cure illnesses when used properly. If drugs are abused or used incorrectly, these can harm you. Other drugs or powerful chemicals are dangerous no matter how they are used.

Narcotics slow down the work of the heart, brain, and nerves. Narcotics are depressant drugs. Some examples of these are opium, morphine, heroin, and codeine. Narcotics are used as medicine to relieve pain and to make the patient sleep. Aside from relieving severe pain and including sleep, narcotics were widely used to curb nausea and vomiting, stop diarrhea, and sedate mental patients. But after physicians noted a high rate of patient dependence upon these drugs, measures to control the use of narcotics were passed by the government. The use of narcotics at present is regulated. Morphine is used in some hospital settings to relieve pain. Codeine is found in prescription of cough syrups and in other pain killers.

Effects of Narcotics to the Individual

Narcotics can quickly make a drug dependent out of ordinary people. Narcotic users usually feel drowsy or sick. Those who are using these drugs for a long period can develop skin, heart and lung disorders. A person may become unconscious after taking a large amount of narcotics. Breathing may slow down so much so that death occurs. Users of narcotics may sometimes use other dangerous drugs together with narcotics, and this can be very dangerous.
Narcotics are addictive, causing physical and psychological dependence. Other side effects of opiates abuse are the following:

· decreased respiration
· drop in blood pressure
· dizziness
· nausea
· sweating
· uncoordinated muscle movements
· general weakness
· euphoria
· depressed sex drive


Effects of Narcotics to the Family

Users of narcotics cause problems in the family, community and in the society in general. Family members are affected when someone in the family is drug dependent. The behavior of a drug dependent is very different that can cause the family members to feel worried, upset, and scared. Drug users often cause arguments in the family.

Cooperation of Government and Private Agencies

Drug abuse and misuse is an increasing and alarming problem. Reports showed that drug abuse and dependence is one of the most frequent causes of psychiatric disorders for men and women. Since drug abuse is an alarming concern, government and private agencies are making concerted efforts to minimize or if not totally solve this problem. This complex and multifaceted problem needs the concerted efforts of the youth, parents, community leaders, school administrators, civic leaders, and law enforcement personnel.

Other organizations are sponsoring drug abuse prevention activities such as:

♥drug fora
♥sports competitions
♥dance contests
♥drawing, poster making, and other contests
♥leadership trainings

Government agencies/organizations have different activities directed to specific target groups. The Dangerous Drug Boards (DDB), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Department of Local Interior Government (DILG), the National Youth Commission (NYC), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have specified duties/activities directed towards drug abuse presentation and control.

With the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 that imposes heavy penalties for offenders, the vigilance of people in reporting illegal drug activities and the concerted efforts of government and nongovernment organizations or agencies, we can achieve drug-free society.

A Healthful Decision

Many people decide not to abuse drugs because they want to stay healthy and drug-free. They also know that drugs can damage their health and lives. There are people who thought of trying drugs but rejected the idea later. They know that the risks are too great and these may ruin their lives. They know that the most of the drugs that are illegally obtained. If they will buy and use illegal drugs, they may get arrested for breaking the law. Buying illegal drugs is a waste of money, and people who do not use or buy drugs realize that they can spend their money in better ways.

Other reasons why people decide not to abuse drugs are the following:

1. Drugs dependents commit crimes in order to get money to support their dependency.
2. Any good feeling that drugs might give is temporary and wears off quickly.
3. Drug abuse is expensive.
4. There are other exciting, worthwhile activities that can improve health rather than taking drugs.