“Dojiya”: An assessment of Nepal's first radio drama series on safe abortion

Nepal's National Abortion Policy (2002) ensures access to affordable safe abortion services to all Nepali women; despite subsequent improvements in abortion service availability, recent studies show a dearth in knowledge of abortion services. In response, the government developed a communication plan, including development of a radio drama series on reproductive health and abortion topics. Dojiya, the resulting 26 episode serial radio drama on safe, legal, induced abortion, was designed to: (1) ensure that communities understand the current abortion law; (2) educate listeners about where they can access safe abortion services; and (3) reduce the social stigma associated with abortion. Six focus groups were conducted to gauge participant impressions, knowledge and attitudes towards abortion following exposure to Dojiya. In addition, eight in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants involved in reproductive health program development. Finally, letters from listeners were reviewed for comments that illustrated themes that emerged from the focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Overall findings were positive; many participants had favorable responses to the program messages in the show and reported improved knowledge of abortion and reproductive health related issues. In some cases the program not only improved knowledge, but also engendered positive changes in health behavior. Furthermore, listeners thought the radio drama format delivered important health communication through a medium that is clear, easy to understand and entertaining. This presentation will describe the development and implementation of the radio broadcast, and present the findings of the post-broadcast qualitative evaluation.