The role of information, education, and communication in family planning service delivery in Tunisia

• Published in: Studies in family planning Vol. 18; no. 4; p. 229
• Main Authors: Coeytaux, F M, Kilani, T, McEvoy, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.07.1987
• Subjects: Communication; Community Health Workers; Family Planning Services; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Mobile Health Units - organization & administration; National Health Programs - organization & administration; Prospective Studies; Rural Health; Tunisia; Tunisia; Family Planning Programs; Home Visits; Organization And Administration; Community Workers; Delivery Of Health Care; Health Personnel; Research Report; Contacting Clients; Program Activities; Tunisia; Communication; Program Effectiveness; Northern Africa; Programs; Arab Countries; Family Planning Program Evaluation; Health; Iec; Africa; French Speaking Africa; Mediterranean Countries; Clients; Family Planning; Developing Countries; Program Evaluation
• ISSN: 0039-3665
• DOI: 10.2307/1966874

In an effort to measure the value of outreach, a prospective study using an experimental comparison group design was implemented in a rural region of Tunisia, where an outreach program had been implemented in 1981 to increase contraceptive prevalence. The main components of the program included the improvement and expansion of rural health care services through mobile clinics, and the implementation of an information, education, and communication (IEC) outreach program. While the program tended to focus on the implementation of the mobile clinics, service statistics suggested that the IEC outreach component in fact accounted for much of the success of the program. The study shows that the addition of outreach to existing services more than doubles the number of new family planning acceptors, and that outreach has a more positive impact on service output than does the creation of new services.