Communication and adoption of family planning methods.

Date

1971

Abstract

This study sought mainly to find out the rc1.-. of the mass media and personal communication in bringing about knowledge, approval, and adoption of family planning methods; to determine what factors exert influence on mass media exposure and personal communication; and to identify some of the preferences of married women in terms of information on factors which will affect radio programming, especially in the field of family planning. The variables investigated included seven independent variables, otherwise called antecedents, such as age, education, literacy, lave' of living, size of family, religion, and group membership-participation; two intervening communication variables — taass media exposure and personal communication; and three dependent variables, otherwise called consequents — knowledge, approval, and adoption of family planning methods. It was hypothesized that the degree of possessionof the antecedents would affect the degree of communication behavior. In turn, the degree of communication behavior would affect the degree of possession of the consequents.The subjects of the study were 142 married women of Lecheria, Calamba, Laguna, who were interviewed from January to February, 1971. Chi-square tests were used to analyze the relationships: (1) between demographic variables and communication variables; (2) between communication variables and knowledge, approval, and adoption of family planning methods; and (3) between riemographic variables and knowledge, approval, and adoption of family planning methods.Results of the chi-square tests revealed that only literacy and religion were significantly relcted to mass media exposure, and only literacy was significantly related to personal communication. owever, mass media exposure and personal communication were consistently but not significantly related to a.nowledge, approval, and adoption of family planning methods. Furthermore, the chi-square tests showed that only level of living religion, and group membership-participation were significantly related to knowledge offamily planning methods. Literacy was the only demographic variable significantly related to approval of family planning methods. No demographic variable was significantly related to adoption of family planning methods.The great majority of the respondents mentioned radioas the number one mass medium preferred insofar as family planning information is concerned. They preferred the radio because, together with television, it is the most ""personal"" of all the. mass media. As to the method of presentation, thewomen preferred the drama. They preferred a female medical doctor as the source or giver of family planning information over the radio. The wives preferred family planning information to be addressed to both husband and wife. Most women preferred to listen to an hour family planning information during weekends when their husbands are home to share with them the. information. Furthermore, the wives preferred to listen at seven o'clock in the evening, once to four times a month. As to the kind of information, they preferred to listen about the IUD and the contraceptive pill, especially the latter's side-effects.

Document Type

Master Thesis

Language

English

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

Call Number

LG 995 1971 A135 D55

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