Radio and Family Planning in Israel: Letters to Broadcasters

Abstract

An analysis of the written responses to a radio series on family planning suggests that radio can offer a nonthreatening way to disseminate information on sensitive and controversial social issues, and that it is possible to tentatively identqy subgroups with special needs.Family planning is a problematic and controversial issue throughout the world (11, 15). It touches not only upon fertility, sexuality, the family, arid the roles of men and women but also on planning for the future, intervening in divine authority, and the natural order of events-all emotion-laden areas. In some cases the concept of family planning clashes with organized religion, political interests, or ethnic biases.Thus, family planning can be a taboo subject of discussion in public and even in private (12).In ii country in which there is strong pro-natal social pressure or in which people experience social censure when they seek family-planning services, a mass media program can make available information about family planning and related services, and it can allow individuals to ask for specific help with relative safety from disclosure and no risk of censure. Such a program can also augment existing services that previously may have been found to be unsatisfactory. The purpose of this article is to illuminate, through the analysis of letters written in response to an informative radio series on family planning and of a survey of Ronny Shtarkshall is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Public Health and in the School of Education at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Eileen Basker teaches sociology and anthropology in the School of Education at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and in the School of Medicine at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva. The authors would like to thank the research department of Kol Yisra'el for making available to them both general listening surveys and special surveys as cited in the references. 69

Mass Media and Health Promotion in Indian Villages

“…Mass media can, however, also promote ill-health by advertising goods which are bad for health, like the excess use of sweets and junk foods. Influence of radio, video, and television has been noted on family planning (Shtarkshall & Basker, 1985), health communication for chronically ill people (Katz, 1985), and breast feeding (Hung, Ling, & Ong, 1985) respectively. The use of media in health education cannot be denied (Kill & King, 1983).…”