RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXPOSURE TO MEDIA CAMPAIGNS ON FAMILY PLANNING AND ADOPTION OF FAMILY PLANNING METHODS AMONG WOMEN IN DELTA STATE

Abstract

Family planning is a birth control strategy employed by individuals to avoid unintended pregnancies and to ensure appropriate child birth spacing. Studies on media exposure family planning have been carried out in many parts of the world, but largely to the exclusion of Delta State, Nigeria. The study therefore investigated media exposure on family planning and the correlation between media exposure and adoption of family planning methods among women in Delta State. The Value Change theory which informs people about the harm or benefit of certain kinds of attitude, behaviour or action and makes them to examine their own values with a view to adopting the acceptable values was adopted for this study. Survey and questionnaire were used as the method and instrument respectively. The results show a high level of media exposure among women in Delta State, positive perception of media campaign messages on family planning; and a significant correlation between exposure to media campaign messages on family planning and the adoption of family planning methods. Media owners, media operators, governments and health authorities should sustain the tempo of media campaigns on family planning.