Torga, A. P. V. (2017). Refocusing on youth: Exploring the role of adolescence in the non-communicable disease control and prevention programming of Palauig, Zambales (Unpublished master's thesis). Graduate School of Public and Development Management, Development Academy of the Philippines.

Graduate School of Public and Development Management Health Systems and Development Batch 7 Thesis (MPM-HSD)--Development Academy of the Philippines.

Non-communicable disease (NCD) control and prevention programs have traditionally focused on accelerated case detection of patients with risk factors and education on lifestyle modification for patients already with disease. Lifestyle modifications after development of the disease has been found to have a modest impact on risk reduction for complications and with multiple barriers for compliance. As much as 70% of the identified risk factors -- smoking tobacco, harmful alcohol use, insufficient physical activity, poor nutrition -- associated with development of NCDs and their complications are rooted in behaviors initiated as early as adolescence. This paper investigated the role of including adolescent-targeted risk behavior prevention interventions through schools as part of the NCD control and prevention program in Palauig, Zambales, a rural municipality. Findings were presented to stakeholders in the community whom unanimously agreed that NCD risk behavior prevention should include adolescents. A school-based program was formulated to assess the effect of health promotion on the determinants of behavior (opportunity, ability, motivation) of adolescents with regards to NCDs and associated risk behaviors. Adolescents possessed some knowledge and awareness of NCDs but there was an identified lack of knowledge about NCDs in their communities and practices that lead to developing diseases. A pre-intervention / post-intervention analysis revealed a statistically significant improvement in behavioral determinants (t(26), p<0.0001; d=1.8) among peer educators and peer leades. All of the adolescents involved were confident that they can share their knowledge on NCDs to others and expressed interest to be conduits of knowledge to their peers and community. A survey on behavioral determinants of adolescents who received peer education also yielded positive findings which show that the adolescent-targeted intervention on health risk behaviors and NCDs was well-received. Adolescents from rural communities can be empowered to take a role in spreading awareness of NCDs and prevention of risk behavior as part of the NCD control and prevention program. This is in alignment with the care at all life stages burden of disease of the Philippine Health Agenda.