{
  "abstract": "Introduction: Reducing unintended pregnancies in low-income and middle-income countries requires enhancing the use of modern contraceptives. Country level evidence on the role of the media and counselling in this process is scanty. The aim of the study is to estimate the impact of family planning messages received through mass media and counselling by health workers on modern contraceptive use among women of reproductive age in Zambia over the study period of 2007 to 2018.\n\nMethods: We analysed three rounds of Zambia Demographic and Health Survey data (2007, 2013/14, 2018). We used different modelling approaches, including logistic regressions, probability weighting and propensity score matching to determine the average treatment effects (ATE) of media messages and counselling by health workers. ATE were also estimated by year. Post-estimation and robustness checks were conducted using overlap plots and bootstrapping.\n\nFindings: Across all surveys, a total of 19 958 women of reproductive age (15–49 years) were identified for inclusion in the study. The magnitude of impact of family planning messages varied by mode of delivery of the messages. Receiving family planning messages through a combination of health worker counselling and mass media had the most significant positive impact on contraceptive use (ATE 17.06%) followed by counselling (ATE 14.55%) and mass media messages only (ATE 3.37%). The impact of the different modes of delivery of family planning varied by year, showing a decreasing trend.\n\nConclusion: The mode of delivery influences the impact of family planning messages on modern contraceptive use among women. Family planning counselling and combined approaches outperform mass media messages only. A declining impact over time raises concerns and highlights the need for further investigation into delivery effectiveness.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden",
    "University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa",
    "Department of Economics, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia",
    "Department of Women and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Joseph Kazibwe",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8315-1503"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jesper Sundewall"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Felix Masiye"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mia Kolak"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Marie Klingberg-Allvin"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Bjorn Ekman"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ehg643yb7g7he.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1136/bmjgh-2026-024080",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13723780/",
  "id": "ehg643yb7g7he",
  "issns": [
    "2059-7908"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2026-024080",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "1506"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2739|Reproductive Health and Contraception"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7224779070",
  "pdf_url": "https://gh.bmj.com/content/11/10/e024080.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13723780",
  "pmid": "42963048",
  "published": "2026-10-30",
  "publisher": "BMJ Publishing Group",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ehg643yb7g7he.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T12:22:21Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13723780",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2026-024080"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2739|Reproductive Health and Contraception",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Impact of family planning messages on modern contraceptive use: an observational study of women of reproductive age in Zambia 2007–2018",
  "title_text": "Impact of family planning messages on modern contraceptive use: an observational study of women of reproductive age in Zambia 2007–2018",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-05T12:20:32Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ehg643yb7g7he",
  "venue": "BMJ Global Health",
  "versions": []
}