The role of communications in population and family planning programs.

The widest range of message inputs available giving information directly related to the needs and interests of potential users must be communicated in order to get people to change their contraceptive behavior. Both communication and clinical services are necessary for an adequate population and family planning program. The communication aspect requires many diverse information and education activities. Public information activities include mass media use, advertising and promotion, public relations, and commerical marketing of nonmedical contraceptives. Education has been identified as population education, education for parenthood, and sex education, and it should be offered in the clinic, in community extension education programs, and as in-school education. Some type of coordination of public information and education is needed. Possibly they could be combined under a program activity termed "Communications." A communications program which coordinates information and education should have a planning component which includes in its tasks research and evaluation. Each of the tasks in a communications program requires specific kinds of materials. Audiences need to be identified, messages and media selected, formats designed, and the material produced. The communicators require more job-specific training.