title: Associations between mass media exposure and birth preparedness among women in southwestern Uganda: a community-based survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Exposure to mass media provides increased awareness and knowledge, as well as changes in attitudes, social norms and behaviors that may lead to positive public health outcomes. Birth preparedness (i.e. the preparations for childbirth made by pregnant women, their families, and communities) increases the use of skilled birth attendants (SBAs) and hence reduces maternal morbidity and mortality.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to explore the association between media exposure and birth preparedness in rural Uganda.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 765 recently delivered women from 120 villages in the Mbarara District of southwest Uganda were selected for a community-based survey using two-stage cluster sampling. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was performed with generalized linear mixed models using SPSS 21.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that 88.6% of the women surveyed listened to the radio and 33.9% read newspapers. Birth preparedness actions included were money saved (87.8%), identified SBA (64.3%), identified transport (60.1%), and purchased childbirth materials (20.7%). Women who had taken three or more actions were coded as well birth prepared (53.9%). Women who read newspapers were more likely to be birth prepared (adjusted OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.5-3.2). High media exposure, i.e. regular exposure to radio, newspaper, or television, showed no significant association with birth preparedness (adjusted OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.9-2.0).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that increased reading of newspapers can enhance birth preparedness and skilled birth attendance. Apart from general literacy skills, this requires newspapers to be accessible in terms of language, dissemination, and cost.
authors.affiliation: Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Science (Malmö), Lund University, Lund, Sweden; gustav.asp@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gustav
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Asp
authors.affiliation: Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Science (Malmö), Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Odberg Pettersson
authors.affiliation: Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Science (Malmö), Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sandberg
authors.affiliation: Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Science (Malmö), Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Faculty of Medicine, Mbarara University of Science & Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kabakyenga
authors.affiliation: Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Science (Malmö), Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agardh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008402:Mass Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000523:psychology; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Uganda; birth preparedness; low-income country; mass media exposure; newspaper; radio; skilled birth attendant