title: Community Education for Family Planning in the U.S.: A Systematic Review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Community education may involve activities that seek to raise awareness and promote behavior change, using mass media, social media, and other media or interpersonal methods in community settings. This systematic review evaluated the evidence of the effects of community education on select short- and medium-term family planning outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using an analytic approach drawn from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, multiple databases were searched for articles published from January 1985 through February 2011 describing studies of community education related to family planning in the U.S. Included articles were reviewed and assessed for potential bias using a standardized process in 2011. An updated, targeted review for the 2011-2014 period was conducted in early 2015.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventeen papers were identified. Most (nine) related to mass media interventions; three involved targeted print media, two involved text messaging or e-mail, two described outcome workers conducting community education, and one involved community theater. Study designs, strength of evidence, and levels of possible bias varied widely. Twelve of 15 studies that addressed outcomes such as increased awareness found positive associations with those outcomes, with six also reporting null findings. Seven of eight studies that addressed use of services reported positive associations, with two also reporting null findings. The targeted, additional review identified two other studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Evidence related to community education for family planning purposes is limited and highly variable. As goals of community education are usually limited to shorter-term outcomes, the evidence suggests that a range of approaches may be effective.
authors.affiliation: Division of Reproductive Health, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia. Electronic address: MCarter1@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Marion W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.affiliation: Manila Consulting Group, Inc., McLean, Virginia.
authors.forename: Michelle L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Tregear
authors.affiliation: Office of Population Affairs, U.S. DHHS, Rockville, Maryland.
authors.forename: Susan B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Moskosky
mesh_terms: D003146:Communications Media / Q000145:classification* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000193:education*; D006266:Health Education / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D014481:United States