 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Hillary Bracken, MHS, MA, Population Council, 1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017, 212-339-0652, hbracken@popcouncil.org and Vijaya Nidadavolu, Regional Office for South and East Asia, Population Council, Zone 5A, Ground Floor, India Habitat Centre, Lodi Road, New Delhi, 110003, India.
For more than 30 years, following the enactment of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act of 1971, women in India have been entitled to legal abortion services. Evidence from successive studies suggests, however, that community knowledge about the legal status of abortion remains low. In a community-based study we conducted in Rajasthan, only 16 percent of men and women were aware that abortion is legal. As a result, it is not surprising that a large proportion of Indian women seek abortions from unlicensed providers who may or may not follow safety precautions or have adequate training and proper equipment.
The paper presents results of an evaluation of the development, distribution and local interpretation of information, education and communication materials about abortion in the state of Rajasthan, India. The study reviewed print, audiovisual and audio materials produced by both governmental and non-governmental organizations during the period 2000-2003. Interviews with district health officials, communication officers, health education workers, providers and men and women at prominent abortion clinics were used to document the development, pre-testing, circulation and reception of IEC materials. The data were supplemented with a review of abortion-related advertisements, news and feature stories in newspapers published or circulated in Rajasthan during 2002. Study results are linked with data from the most recent National Family Health Survey and a community-based survey of abortion knowledge, attitudes and practices conducted in the region, in order to provide a comprehensive view of the abortion-related information, education and communication situation in Rajasthan.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Abortion, Communication Evaluation
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.