Impact Data - Promoting Family Planning through Mass Media

Respondents were asked to name every FP method of which they were aware. If a method was not mentioned, the interviewer would prompt the respondent with a description and ask if the respondent had heard of it. Both before and after the campaign, over 90% of both sexes could name a method of birth control with mean number known of 3.4. Just slightly fewer than 90% could name a modern method of contraception. This is a relatively high level of contraceptive knowledge and thus little change could be expected from the campaign's efforts. The study also examined the source of contraceptive knowledge, and while once again many of the sources remained roughly the same, TV increased by 5% as a source in the follow-up survey.

Contraceptive use increased over the campaign period, increasing from 25% to 32%, with a nearly 50% increase in the use of modern methods (17% to 25%) accounting for most of the change. The condom was the most commonly used method in both surveys, followed by the pill, natural family planning, withdrawal, and lastly, injectables. Among men and their partners, condom use registered the most significant gains, rising from 12% to 17%.

After the campaign there was greater support for several principles related to family well-being. The belief among men that FP can help couples become responsible parents increased from 61% to 69% overall, but increased substantially in Kano region from 38% to 60%. The changes were less dramatic among women though most also demonstrated a small increase. Change was also recorded among men with regards to their attitudes about the health benefits for women of family planning. Belief that child spacing protects a mother's health increased from 71% to 79% overall, with an even greater 12% gain recorded in Lagos. There were also significant increases in the belief that child spacing helped protect the child's health (67.5% to 77%) and that it also contributed to preserving a woman's youthful beauty (66% to 72%). While the increases were not in most cases as substantial, women were generally more likely than men to agree with the various survey statements both before and after the campaigns. Furthermore, while positive changes were recorded in the majority of cases, it must be noted that levels of agreement were significantly lower amongst the Kano sample than in the other two regions.

The frequency of discussion about FP increased consistently over the course of the study. Women who talked to their spouses about planning increased from 38.9% at baseline to 46.3% at follow-up and were found to be a significant increase (p<0.05). The increase in men who talked with a health worker about FP also increased substantially, from 13.4% 23.8%. This is consistent with the messages of the PSA and Logo Campaigns, both of which encouraged couples to talk with each other and to seek help from family planning service providers.