A 10+10+30 radio campaign is associated with increased infant vaccination and decreased morbidity in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia: A prospective, quasi-experimental trial.

• Main Authors: Bernard Appiah (Author), Lakew Abebe Gebretsadik (Author), Abebe Mamo (Author), Brittany Kmush (Author), Yisalemush Asefa (Author), Christopher R France (Author), Elfreda Samman (Author), Tena Alemayehu (Author), Mahdiya Abafogi (Author), Md Koushik Ahmed (Author), Laura Forastiere (Author), Gursimar Kaur Singh (Author), David Larsen (Author), Sudhakar Morankar (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2767-3375; 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001002
• Keywords: Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: PLOS Global Public Health, Vol 2, Iss 11, p e0001002 (2022)

Mass media interventions have the potential to reach large audiences and influence health behaviours and outcomes. To date, no study has evaluated the effect of a radio-only campaign on infant vaccination coverage, timeliness, and related morbidity in a low-income country. We implemented the "10+10+30" radio campaign involving broadcasting a weekly 10-minute radio drama series on vaccination, followed by a 10-minute discussion by community health workers, and then a 30-minute listener phone-in segment in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia for three months. To assess the impact of 10+10+30, which was aired on a community radio station, we recruited mothers of infants up to 5 weeks old in intervention district clusters that were inside the radio station's reception range (n = 328 dyads) and control district clusters that were outside of the range (n = 332 dyads). Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses, adjusted for pre-intervention differences between the districts, were conducted to examine the co-primary outcome of Penta-3 vaccination coverage and timeliness as well as those of other vaccines and outcomes related to infant morbidity. Both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses revealed higher vaccine coverage (p<0.001) and more timely vaccine administration (p<0.001) in the intervention district relative to the control district, with infants in the intervention district being 39% more likely to receive a Penta 3 vaccination (adjusted RR: 1.39, p<0.001). In addition, adjusted regression analyses of maternal retrospective reports over a two-week period revealed 80% less infant diarrhoea (RR: 0.20, p<0.001), 40% less fever (RR: 0.60, p<0.001) and 58% less cough (RR: 0.42, p<0.001) in the intervention district relative to the control district. This study provides compelling initial evidence that a radio drama integrated with discussion and phone-in components may improve infant vaccination coverage and timeliness, and may reduce infant morbidity. Randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm and extend these findings with other samples.