Assessment of public health communication programs in child survival emphasis countries in Latin America, 1985-1990

An introduction discusses the three principal mechanisms through which A.I.D. has funded CS communication efforts: the multilateral Expanded Program on Immunization; bilateral agreements, which are often supported via centrally funded TA projects such as HEALTHCOM, PRITECH, and REACH; and contributions to PVO country projects. Section two outlines A.I.D."s approach to public health communication, which is seen as a six step process: initial research; planning; development and pretesting of materials; revision and production; implementation and training; and monitoring and evaluation. In Section three, 31 projects with CS communication components are assessed and compared within the framework of the A.I.D. approach; particular attention is given to 9 projects for which Project Papers were available. A fourth section discusses the contextual factors which surround communication programs and help determine their success or failure (e.g., availability of primary health care; supply of rehydration salts and vaccine; mass media coverage; and skill of health care providers). Section five reviews communication input and output indicators, and suggests approaches to research design, sampling, and data collection. Section six lists data sources used to complete the assessment.