The impact of a family planning multimedia campaign in Bamako, Mali

Abstract

An integrated multimedia campaign featuring family planning messages saturated the 900,000-person city of Bamako, Mali, for three months during the spring of 1993. With traditional theater and music, family planning messages were repeatedly broadcast on radio and television that conveyed information about modern contraceptive methods, the need for male sexual responsibility, the health and economic advantages of family planning, the need for communication between spouses, and that Islam, the predominant faith of Mali, does not oppose family planning. A separate sample pretest-post-test quasi-experimental research design was used to evaluate the effects of the campaign and exposure to specific messages on changes in contraceptive knowledge, attitudes, and practice. Results indicate a high level of exposure to and agreement with the messages. A dramatic drop was found in the proportion of men and women who believe that Islam opposes family planning. Logistic regression results indicate that contraceptive knowledge and use and more favorable attitudes toward family planning are positively associated with intensity of exposure to the project interventions, after controlling for relevant variables.

PIP: According to the Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in Mali in 1987 and 1995-96, the current use of any form of contraception among currently married Malian women increased from 5% to 7% during the period between the 2 surveys. Family planning messages were disseminated throughout Bamako through radio and television for 3 months in a spring 1993 information, education, and communication (IEC) campaign. With traditional theater and music, family planning messages were repeatedly broadcast on radio and television to convey information about modern contraceptive methods, the need for male sexual responsibility, the health and economic advantages of family planning, the need for spouses to communicate with each other, and that Islam, the predominant religious faith of Mali, does not oppose family planning. Impact evaluation found a high level of exposure to and agreement with the campaign messages. The campaign also led to a dramatic decline in the proportion of men and women who believe that Islam opposes family planning. Logistic regression results indicate that contraceptive knowledge and use and more favorable attitudes toward family planning are positively associated with the intensity of exposure to the project interventions, after controlling for relevant variables