Impact Data - Male Motivation Campaign for Family Planning
Methodologies
The evaluation design consisted of two components: a panel study among religious leaders and a population-based study among men and women of reproductive age. The panel design included baseline interviews at the start of the advocacy activities of half of the religious leaders who attended seven randomly selected conferences. When the project ended 4 months later, the baseline respondents were e-interviewed. In all, 98 religious leaders were interviewed at the two points in time.
Assessing the impact of the campaign on the general population involved identifying and re-interviewing men and women who were interviewed in the 1999 Guinea Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS). The evaluation survey was conducted 14 months after the GDHS. Analysis of campaign impact comprised both baseline and follow-up interviews of 1,045 respondents. Survey responses provided the basis for baseline and follow-up comparisons of relevant indicators.
Analyses were based on the ideation model of behaviour change that measures shifts in ways of thinking that are the result of the diffusion of new ideas through communication and social interactions.
Assessing the impact of the campaign on the general population involved identifying and re-interviewing men and women who were interviewed in the 1999 Guinea Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS). The evaluation survey was conducted 14 months after the GDHS. Analysis of campaign impact comprised both baseline and follow-up interviews of 1,045 respondents. Survey responses provided the basis for baseline and follow-up comparisons of relevant indicators.
Analyses were based on the ideation model of behaviour change that measures shifts in ways of thinking that are the result of the diffusion of new ideas through communication and social interactions.
Knowledge Shifts
Among religious leaders there was a significant change in knowledge of Islam's perception and teachings on family planning. At baseline, 37% of the leaders interviewed reported knowledge of a verse in the Koran or Hadith that favoured the practice of FP; at follow-up 93% reported such knowledge.
There was a significant increase for both men and women in being able to name at least one modern FP method, although the increase was greater for women than for men (29.2% increase for men, 35.8% increase for women). Figures also showed that campaign exposure was directly related to increased FP knowledge levels. Men with no exposure to the campaign showed an 18.2% knowledge level compared to a 92.6% knowledge level with a high level of exposure to the campaign. Women had a 39.7% knowledge level with no exposure to the campaign and an 89.5% knowledge level after the campaign.
There was a significant increase for both men and women in being able to name at least one modern FP method, although the increase was greater for women than for men (29.2% increase for men, 35.8% increase for women). Figures also showed that campaign exposure was directly related to increased FP knowledge levels. Men with no exposure to the campaign showed an 18.2% knowledge level compared to a 92.6% knowledge level with a high level of exposure to the campaign. Women had a 39.7% knowledge level with no exposure to the campaign and an 89.5% knowledge level after the campaign.
Practices
The figures for women who had encouraged someone to use FP increased slightly after the campaign: 14.1% before and 17.6% after. Other figures show that the level of exposure to the campaign had a direct effect on the increase of men and women who have encouraged someone to use a FP method. The campaign had a solid impact on ideation for men, but was not quite as significant for women. The figures for men and women who were currently using a modern method of FP were quite low, and in fact, dropped for men in the follow-up survey. 13.1% of men reported using a modern method of FP before the programme compared to 12.7% at follow-up survey. Only 3.9% of women reported using a modern FP method at the baseline survey, compared to 4.9% at the follow-up survey. The significant increase in figures comes for those men and women who were currently using a modern method of FP but were not using a modern FP method in the initial survey: At no exposure, 1.9% of men reported using a FP method compared to 13.8% with high exposure. With no exposure, 0.4% of women reported practicing modern FP, compared to13.1% with high exposure. It was felt that, "among women, even low levels of exposure appeared to have led to significant, positive contraceptive behaviour change".
Attitudes
Among religious leaders, there were significant changes in attitudes surrounding modern contraception and its relationship to Islam. Those who believed Islam supports the use of family planning for child spacing increased from 55% at baseline to 94% at follow-up. Although the majority of the respondents still believed Islam condemns the use of family planning for limiting the number of births, the data showed a decline in this attitude. In all cases, the percent who believed that specific FP methods are forbidden by Islam declined: from 69.8% to 45.8% for vasectomy, from 52.1% to 22.9% for implants, and from 33.7% to 15.6% for the condom. Notably, the least amount of change was recorded in changes of attitude toward the use of the pill.
In the general population, there was a greater increase from baseline figures for men showing their approval of FP following the campaign. Overall, more women (69.8%) approved of FP than men (65.7%). There was only a slight change in attitude about family size after completion of the programme. Women continue to feel that a family size of 5+ children is the norm (5.9 children before the campaign and 5.6 children after the campaign). The percentages of people in the community who approved of FP were felt to be much higher by both men and women who had the greatest exposure to the campaign.
In the general population, there was a greater increase from baseline figures for men showing their approval of FP following the campaign. Overall, more women (69.8%) approved of FP than men (65.7%). There was only a slight change in attitude about family size after completion of the programme. Women continue to feel that a family size of 5+ children is the norm (5.9 children before the campaign and 5.6 children after the campaign). The percentages of people in the community who approved of FP were felt to be much higher by both men and women who had the greatest exposure to the campaign.
Increased Discussion of Development Issues
The family planning (FP) programme had a direct effect on increased discussion, especially for men. Before the programme, 23.3% of men discussed FP with someone and after the programme 44.9% had discussed FP. The figures for women were 26.8% who discussed FP before exposure to the campaign and 37.8% who discussed FP after exposure. Again, the numbers were significantly greater for men than women in regards to those who discussed FP with a spouse/partner. Before exposure to the programme, 17.8% of men had discussed FP over the past 12 months compared to 31.1% of men who discussed FP with their spouse/partner after being exposed to the campaign. There was a very slight increase for women who discussed FP with a spouse/partner: 21.6% before exposure and 24.6% after exposure. Figures show that the increased discussion of FP with a spouse/partner is directly related to campaign exposure.
Access
Although more women were exposed to the campaign in urban areas (88.8% compared to 83.7% for men), many more men were exposed to the campaign in rural areas (74.4% compared to 59.6% for women). In total, more men were exposed to a campaign activity than women (76.7% compared to 66.4% for women). Exposure was measured by correct recall of messages. The level of campaign exposure based on the number of times a person was exposed to each activity was as follows:
Men:
Women:
The 3 most significant factors associated with positive exposure to the campaign were education, urban residence, and Christian religion.
Men:
- No exposure - 23.3%
- Low exposure - 30.5%
- Med exposure - 23.3%
- High exposure - 22.9%
Women:
- No exposure - 33.6%
- Low exposure - 19.1%
- Med exposure - 24.2%
- High exposure - 23.1%
The 3 most significant factors associated with positive exposure to the campaign were education, urban residence, and Christian religion.
Source
"The Impact of a Male Motivation Campaign on FP Attitudes and Practices in Guinea" [PDF]. Field report #13 (April 2002) Michael Blake and Stella Babalola, Johns Hopkins University Center for Communications Programs, Baltimore.
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