How communication influences adoption of family planning: a case study of Marani division in Kisii county in Kenya.

Abstract

In this study, the researcher‘s objective was to investigate the significance of communication and social factors that influence the adoption of family planning in Marani division of Kisii County. The research seeks to identify and investigate how c ommunication and social factors come into play in the initiation and implementation phases of family planning. The research revolves around seeking to evaluate the level of family planning and analyze the family planning adoption process. The study was con ducted among reproductive age women of Marani division. The target population is convenient in terms of accessibility to citizens of different levels of income representing diverse population across the division. Kisii County was ranked seventh among the highly populated counties in Kenya. The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data from the residents of Marani division. Data was collected from rural residents of reproductive age between 15 to 49 years. Data collected was ana lyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as multiple regressions were used. This assisted in determining the level of influence the independent variables has on the dependent variabl e. The study found out that women of reproductive age in Marani division find the family planning messages ineffective in influencing their adoption. It was also clear that they prefer interpersonal communication for effective behavior change and that the re are s pecific ch allenges faced by the government in disseminati on of family planning campaigns especially the inability to conduct research to obtain feedback and infrequent messages which were both attributed to inadequate funding xiii The study recommended that periodic survey should be conducted by FPAK to obtain immediate feedback from the target audience. There should be training of clinical officers and those who provide family planning information to the targeted women. The government should also us e m ultimedia channels to ensure that all targeted groups are reached. Use of vernacular language should also be considered to counter language barrier problem