Impact of a communication programme on female genital cutting in eastern Nigeria.
OBJECTIVE
This study describes a female genital cutting (FGC) elimination communication programme in Enugu State and assesses its impact in changing relevant knowledge, attitudes and behavioural intentions.


METHODS
The FGC programme combined a community mobilization component with targeted advocacy and mass media activities. Data for assessing the impact of the programme derived from baseline and follow-up surveys in three intervention local government areas (LGA) in Enugu State and three comparison LGAs in Ebonyi State. An ideation model of behaviour change guided the analyses of the impact of the programme on personal advocacy for FGC, perceived self-efficacy to refuse pressure to perform FGC, perceived social support for FGC discontinuation, perceived benefits of FGC, perceived health complications of FGC and intention not to perform FGC on daughters. The analytical methods include comparing change in pertinent outcome variables from baseline to follow-up in the two study states and using logistic regression on follow-up data for the intervention state to assess the link between programme exposure and the relevant outcome indicators.


RESULTS
The data show that while the pertinent ideational factors and the intention not to perform FGC either worsened or remained stagnant in Ebonyi State, they improved significantly in Enugu State. The logistic regression results show that programme exposure is associated with the expected improvements in all the pertinent indicators.


CONCLUSIONS
The multimedia communication programme has been effective in changing FGC-related attitudes and promoting the intention not to perform FGC.
Babalola
Stella
S
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA. sbabalol@jhuccp.org
Brasington
Angela
A
Agbasimalo
Ada
A
Helland
Anna
A
Nwanguma
Edith
E
Onah
Nkechi
N
D019093:Circumcision, Female / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003142:Communication; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012067:Religion; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors