The reach and impact of radio communication campaigns on reproductive health in Malawi.

Several reproductive and HIV/AIDS prevention programs are being implemented to address reproductive health problems and the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Malawi. This paper assesses the reach of selected radio programs about family planning and health and their impact on discussion of family planning and condom use. Our analysis is based on data from the 2000 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey which contains information on a representative sample of women aged 15-49 and men aged 15-54. To control for self-selection and endogeneity we estimate the effect of program exposure on the behavioral outcomes using a two-stage regression model. Exposure to radio programs about family planning and health was very high particularly for males. Results for both men and women show that those who were exposed to radio programs about family planning and HIV/AIDS were more likely to have discussed family planning with their partner (OR=1.14 for men and 1.13 for women) and to have ever used a condom (OR=1.12 and 1.04 respectively). Exposure to radio programs also increased the relative odds that males ever tried condoms (OR=1.062) but no significant effect was observed for females. Program exposure had no significant effect on condom use in last intercourse for either sex. Radio programs in Malawi have high reach and have a significant impact on family planning discussion. However their impact on condom use has been very limited. While it is possible that it is too early for these programs to show impact on condom use this is somewhat unlikely considering that program reach is so high and that some of the programs have been on the air for several years. To ensure that future radio programs increase their effectiveness in increasing condom use for HIV prevention and family planning it is recommended that qualitative research be used to inform the design of the key campaign messages. (authors)