Using the Newspaper to Disseminate Vasectomy Information in Kenya

Recent research in Kenya shows that, although there is still a high population growth rate, there is increasing interest among men as well as women in family planning and in limiting family size. Vasectomy, however, is little known and practiced in Kenya. A major reason for this is a general lack of knowledge about the procedure and where it may be obtained. Little effort has been put into addressing the barriers to vasectomy acceptance in Kenya, partly because of the commonly held assumption that Kenyan men would not be interested in the method. Innovative Communication Systems, with the support of the Association for Voluntary Surgical Contraception, implemented a study using the print media to examine this perception. Advertisements providing information about the method were placed in newspapers and a magazine. An unexpectedly large response was received—over 800 written requests for information from all parts of the country. The majority of inquiries were from rural areas, and there was a high proportion of requests from the coastal district, a Muslim area generally considered to be extremely resistant to family planning. A large proportion of inquiries came through a Kiswahili newspaper appealing to lower socioeconomic groups.