1.1 Introduction
Family planning is about helping individuals or couples determine the number of children they wish to or not to have. The concept has been around for centuries with different generations across different regions of the world adopting various ways of controlling childbirth and increasing child spacing in order to enable couples give birth to the number of children they can adequately care for. Family planning is considered to be a safer and better approach of child spacing and child bearing when compared to abortion because it adopts a proactive process in helping highly fertile couples and individuals to regulate their fertility and produce the number of children they want in such manner as to prevent maternal mortality and morbidity.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Family planning as a concept of world social order is as old as man himself. It has been predicted in several reasons. It could be said to be a means of population control other than by disease, war or other natural and manmade disasters. The term family planning was only applied to this ageless phenomenon when social effects, abandoned babies, material mortality due to especially illegal abortions and also problems of oversized poor families began to seriously bother the minds of sociologist and health workers.
Family has received media coverage around the world since inception in 1916. Initially, the reaction of people was nothing but antagonistic. This is perhaps due to misconception and ignorance of aims and values of family , but as issues develop, it clears the people eyes and their perception more enlightened. Initially, the United Nations Organization (UNO) through its agency the World Health Organization (WHO) has championed the publicity and propaganda campaign for the introduction and acceptance of the modern agitations and clamoring against it. The impact of mass media in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of individuals has been the subject of considerable debate. This is because media influence is modified by many factors and intervening variables. Research also shows us that the images and words these media carry determine within limitations posed by intervening factors. The media can provide for audience members a definition of situation on a variety of issues by emphasizing certain topics, stressing particular interpretations and project specific themes.
Simply by their presence, the media have the nature of societal communication norms. Large audiences have been created, that expect the media to provide continuous flow of news, entertainment, political commentary, and other types of messages. The people depend on the media for various forms of gratification based on content. If denied such communication, they will feel deprived (Berelson 1950:889). Even in relatively underdeveloped societies, population quickly develops media related habits, once mass communication becomes available in a form they understand.
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Effect of Media Messages on Family Planning.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Although it is truism that the term “family planning” is not unknown to many Nigerians, there is still need to clearly define the concept. So the problems this project sets out to study will focus on:
- Family planning is not just for stopping child bearing.
- Evidence shows that family is understood as limiting child bearing.
- They believe it is sinful to interfere with injunction to go ahead and procreate.
- To determine the effects of exposure to family planning campaign on parents.
- Proper identification on a problem determines the direction of the study.
- Knowing that Nigeria's population growth is at alarming rate of 3.4 percent per anum.
- The government evidently considers family planning indispensable.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to investigate the Effect of Media Messages on Family Planning. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To examine the extent to which media coverage of family planning campaign is affected.
- To know the ability of the family planning message carried by the media.
- To induce parents to change their behavior to family size.
- To help them know more about family planning and suggest ways of it practice.
- The study is interested in the audiences that are parents.
- To find out if they are really getting information (exposure) at their level of education.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Has mass media campaign on family planning been carried effectively by the mass media in Imo State in rural areas?
- Do Parents in the rural areas in Imo State understand what family planning is?
- Have parents in Imo State rural areas adopted family planning method?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: Mass media campaign on family planning has not been effectively used to educate people in the rural areas.
- H1: Mass media campaign on family planning has been effectively used to educate people in the rural areas.
Hypothesis Two
- H0: Comprehension of family planning messages does not have significant influence on practice of family
- H1: Comprehension of family planning messages has significant influence on practice of family
Hypothesis Three
- H0: Parents in Imo State rural areas have not adopted family planning method.
- H1: Parents in Imo State rural areas have adopted family planning method.
1.7 Significance of Study
It is envisaged (imagined) that the outcome of this study will alert the parents' population on dangers inherent in large family size and equally contribute to existing write-ups (literature) in the area of media effects.
Also, the study will help the ministry of health in Nigeria to determine which media to employ in dissemination of family planning information. Above all, it is hoped that the study will further equip media practioners, communication experts and researchers to come up with a more concrete approach to covering all manners of campaigns without much ado (delay) in Nigeria.
1.8 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Effect of Media Messages on Family Planning in Owerri-West Local Government Area, Imo State.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.10 Definition of Terms
Fertility: This is the number of birth per thousand by women.
Population: Is the number of people living in a given country.
Welfare: Is a condition of having good health, comfortable living and working condition.
Withdrawal: This is the pull back of the penis from the vagina before ejaculation.
