Association of Mass Media Communication with Contraceptive Use in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Meta-Analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys

Abstract

Literature abounds with evidence on the effectiveness of individual mass media interventions on contraceptive use and other health behaviors. There have been, however, very few studies summarizing effect sizes of mass media health communication campaigns in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we used meta-analytic techniques to pool data from 47 demographic and health surveys conducted between 2005 and 2015 in 31 sub-Saharan African countries and estimate the prevalence of exposure to family planning-related mass media communication. We also estimated the average effect size of exposure to mass media communication after adjusting for endogeneity. We performed meta-regression to assess the moderating role of selected variables on effect size. On average, 44% of women in sub-Saharan Africa were exposed to family planning-related mass media interventions in the year preceding the survey. Overall, exposure was associated with an effect size equivalent to an odds ratio of 1.93. More recent surveys demonstrated smaller effect sizes than earlier ones, while the effects were larger in lower contraceptive prevalence settings than in higher prevalence ones. The findings have implications for designing communication programs, setting expectations about communication impact, and guiding decisions about sample size estimation for mass media evaluation studies.

Decomposition analysis of modern contraceptive use among currently married women in Ethiopia: EDHS 2000-2016

“…In addition, in the decomposition analysis, the richest women had the highest (4%) contribution to this change as compared to the poorest women. The finding is consistent with the study conducted in developing countries (37,38).…”

“…The other significant factor that affected the use of modern contraceptive use was the media of exposure, with 10 % of the contribution to the change. This finding is in line with other studies in Pakistan (36) and Sub-Saharan African countries (37,38). Women who were exposed to family planning messages through the mass media were more likely to use modern contraceptive methods.…”

The State of Digital Interventions for Demand Generation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Considerations, Emerging Approaches, and Research Gaps

“…As a result, few evaluations have explored the effectiveness of untargeted client communication using mobile technologies; much of the evidence on untargeted client communication is tied to traditional mass media methods. 9 , 10 , 13 , 14 However, the pervasiveness of mobile technologies provides an opportunity to customize health promotion messaging, potentially shifting the emphasis away from mass communication channels to more targeted client engagement interventions. 9 …”

“Study Natural” without Drugs: An Exploratory Study of Theory-Guided and Tailored Health Campaign Interventions to Prevent Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants in College Students

“…Health communication campaigns are effective in changing individuals' health-related beliefs and behavior [13][14][15][16]. Findings from a meta-analysis of health campaign studies from 1966 to 2012 indicate that health campaigns can increase knowledge and encourage positive behavioral changes in the target audience [14].…”