Impacts of Family Messages through Social Networks on Family Planning Behaviors: Vietnam Case Study

Abstract

Social media has become an important channel for communicating family planning policy in Vietnam. Local governments in this country are using it as the primary channel to spread family planning messages in remote areas. To add to the evidence of previous studies on the role of social media in policy communication, to enrich the research literature, and to make policy recommendations to the Government of Vietnam, this study explores The impact of family planning messages via social networks on family planning behavior. This study was conducted through a cross-sectional survey using an intentional sampling technique (n=200). A multivariable linear regression model was applied to test the hypothesis. Research results show that the factors of attitude to social networks, awareness of family planning messages, and behaviors for family planning have a positive and meaningful relationship with readiness for family planning. Furthermore, the factor awareness of family planning messages has the most significant impact. This result implies that the government and family planning policymakers in Vietnam need to pay attention to social networks and the recipients’ perception of family planning messages.