Estimating Causal Effects from Family Planning Health Communication Campaigns: An Analysis of the “Your Health, Your Wealth” Communication Campaign in Menya Villages, Egypt

Data from Egypt on a panel of reproductive age women followed from 2003 to 2007 are examined to estimate the effects of the multimedia health communication campaign “Your Health, Your Wealth” (“Sehatek Serwetek”) on family planning knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. We utilize multiple analytical methods to control for both observed and unobserved heterogeneity in the sample of women who self-report recall of the messages. In particular, we focus on the panel nature of the data to estimate program effects using difference-in-differences (DID) and fixed effects estimators. It is highlighted that different analytical methods to control for non-random exposure to media messages can produce vastly different estimates of the effects of health communication strategies, potentially misleading incautious evaluators. Our analysis controlling for non-random exposure provides more conservative estimates of than simpler and more commonly used analytical methods. In particular, DID estimates indicate that simple regression methods overstate the impact of the “Your Health, Your Wealth” health campaign on modern contraceptive use by approximately 38% and on the likelihood of discussing family planning with a spouse by approximately 25%.