International Journal of Sub-Saharan African Research (IJSSAR)

Background: Family planning is a crucial aspect of reproductive health, and newspaper campaigns have been used as a strategy to promote family planning and behavioural change in Plateau State, Nigeria. Despite efforts to increase access to family planning services, uptake remains low, with a contraceptive prevalence rate of 8% in Plateau State (NDHS, 2018). Newspaper campaigns have been shown to be effective in influencing health behaviours, but there remains a gap in knowledge of the impact newspaper campaigns on family planning an behaviour change in Plateau State, Nigeria.
Objective: This study investigated the level of citizens’ awareness of family planning through newspaper coverage in Plateau State, Nigeria.
Method: The study is a qualitative study that integrated literature and systematic review methods whereby, scholarly works on the subject matter were reviewed to draw inferences for the study under investigation.
Result: The study found that; exposure to family planning messages in the media was associated with a 10-20% increase in contraceptive use in developing countries; that about 45% of articles framed family planning positively with disparities in family planning coverage between newspapers in different regions of Plateau State, Nigeria; that family planning issues received limited coverage in Plateau State, Nigerian newspapers due to cultural and religious barriers accounting for less than 5% of health-related articles and that while family planning was occasionally covered, the depth and quality of coverage were often inadequate.
Conclusion: It concludes that family planning campaigns in Plateau State, Nigeria is being hindered by cultural and religious barriers otherwise, the newspaper as a medium of communication could have been effective in family planning campaigns in Plateau State. Unique contribution: The study brought about the knowledge that family planning is not only a social issue but a critical aspect of public health (maternal/infant heath) too. Secondly, scholarly related article (empirical studies) received less than 5% publication on family planning issue as a result of cultural and religious barriers.
Key Recommendation: the study recommends that Newspapers needed to give more prominence to the coverage of family planning campaigns in Plateau State, Nigeria.