FACTORS AFFECTING MASS MEDIA FP PROGRAMS ON CURRENT USE OF CONTRACEPTION IN BANGLADESH

In this paper the significant role of mass media and factors affecting it have been investigated. . Mass media has played an important role in the success of Bangladesh family planning programs. Different mass media are employed to disseminate FP-MCH messages. Evaluation of the impact of mass media exposures on FP-MCH programs would provide new directions and strategy for its effectiveness. In this study a total of 3100 currently married women from all over Bangladesh were interviewed. The aim was to identify the impact of the mass media on family planning programs. The findings indicate that radio is still the most reached medium than television and newspaper. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors, which have significant effects on exposure to family planning messages. The significant factors that have influence on exposure to family planning mass media messages are education, type of place of residence, employment status and membership of women in development groups. The analysis further revealed that age, number of living children, religion, radio ownership, approval of family planning by the respondents and their husbands, are the important determinants affecting use of modern contraception as opposed to no method users. The study findings have policy implications in the sense that mass media and its contents will play an important role in the future MCH-FP programs and in achieving demographic goals