Using Nollywood to Change Malaria and Family Planning Behaviors

Background: In 2013, only 23 percent of pregnant women in Nigeria received intermittent preventive treatment during their pregnancies. Additionally, 62 percent of all woman were not exposed to family planning messages through media or community activities (DHS, 2014). With television viewership in Nigeria increasing over the years and now competing with radio; it has become one of the best channels for reaching national audiences. Nollywood also presents a unique opportunity, as it extends beyond Nigeria’s borders across Sub-Saharan Africa. In October 2014, the Center for Communication Programs Nigeria launched “Newman Street,” the first commercially-viable entertainment education television drama, to address health and social issues. “Newman Street” seeks to raise the profile of family planning and malaria, improve health knowledge and attitudes, model and reinforce best practices, and promote malaria prophylaxis use by pregnant women. Methods: The series is designed and produced by a group of collaborating partners from the non-profit health sector (CCPN, NURHI, JHUCCP) and Nollywood film industry (NCP) and jointly funded by PMI and Gates. Award-winning script writers and SBCC experts use internationally recognized best practices to develop stories and scripts based on behavior change methodology and evidence-based decision-making. Results: Program and evaluation results are in progress, but reach is estimated at over a million viewers. Omnibus surveys will track reach and message recall. Conclusions: “Newman Street” provides an example of how health messaging can be effectively integrated into popular and wide-reaching media channels. Results contribute to the evidence-base on mass media health communication in international settings.