Reported evidence on the effectiveness of mass media interventions in increasing knowledge and use of family planning in low and middle-income countries: a systematic mixed methods review

Background: Little is known about how knowledge brokers (KBs) operate in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to translate evidence for health policy and practice. These intermediaries facilitate relationships between evidence producers and users to address public health issues. Aims and objectives: To increase understanding, a mixed-methods study collected data from KBs who had acted on evidence from the 2015 Global Maternal Newborn Health Conference in Mexico. Methods: Of the 1000 in-person participants, 252 plus 72 online participants (n=324) from 56 countries completed an online survey, and 20 participants from 15 countries were interviewed. Thematic analysis and application of knowledge translation (KT) theory explored factors influencing KB actions leading to evidence uptake. Descriptive statistics of respondent characteristics were used for cross-case comparison.Findings: Results suggest factors supporting the KB role in evidence uptake, which include active relationships with evidence users through embedded KB roles, targeted and tailored evidence communication to fit the context, user receptiveness to evidence from a similar country setting, adaptability in the KB role, and action orientation of KBs. Discussion and conclusions: Initiatives to increase evidence uptake in LMICs should work to establish supportive structures for embedded KT, identify processes for ongoing cross-country learning, and strengthen KBs already showing effectiveness in their roles. key messages <ol><li>Little is known about how knowledge brokers mobilise evidence in low- and middle-income countries.</li> <li>A multi-country study of knowledge brokers identified promising practices for evidence uptake.</li> <li>Embedded brokers who adapted messaging and evidence to context in active relationships worked well.</li> <li>Capacity building should use KB promising practices and facilitate multi-country evidence exchange.</li></ol>

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Commentary: Does Twitter have a role in Family Planning in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)?

Online Journal of Public Health Informatics ◽

10.5210/ojphi.v13i2.11094 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Denise Harrison ◽

Saumya Ramarao ◽

Dinesh Vijeyakumar ◽

James McKinnon ◽

Kristina Brown ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Family Planning ◽

Developing World ◽

The Body ◽

Modern Contraceptive ◽

Middle Income ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Internet Users ◽

Low And Middle Income

Stakeholders are coming together to develop a vision for increasing access to family planning (FP) by 2030. Of the 923 million women in the developing world who wish to avoid a pregnancy, 218 million women are not using a modern contraceptive (Guttmacher Institute, 2020). In 2016, over 3.4 billion people were using the internet (https://ourworldindata.org/internet 2016). Moreover, internet users in the developing world use social media more frequently than Internet users in the U.S. and Europe. Of the many proposed actions to accelerate progress in family planning, the use of Twitter should be a key component. In this commentary, we describe the use of Twitter in a select group of low-and-middle-income countries that have made commitments to the family planning 2020 initiative (FP2020 countries, and have the potential to leverage Twitter with current and potential family planning users. We examine Twitter feeds in eight key FP2020 countries, and we look at the content of Tweets issued by the ministries of health in most of these same countries. Our view is that it is feasible and easy to access Twitter feeds in low and middle income countries. We base our view on the types of reproductive health and family planning terms discussed in a public forum such as Twitter by current and potential users and their partners and ministries of health. We highlight two broad considerations that merit discussion among interested stakeholders, including policy makers, program designers, and health advocates. The first relates to the use of Twitter within family planning programs, and the second relates to themes that require more significant research. Data coupled with analytical capacity will help policy makers and program designers to effectively leverage Twitter for expanding the reach of family planning services and influencing social media policy. Our aim is to not only to contribute to the body of knowledge but also to spur greater engagement by program personnel, researchers, health advocates and contraceptive users.

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