"Objectives: To examine the association between exposure to breastfeeding television spots and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). Methods: We performed face-to-face interviews with 11 722 mothers of infants younger than 6 months using 5 cross-sectional surveys 6 or more months apart between 2011 and 201 ... 4 in Vietnam. Sample sizes were 2065 to 2593, and approximately 50% of participants lived in areas with (Alive & Thrive [A&T]-intensive [I]) and approximately 50% without (A&T-nonintensive [NI]) facilities offering counseling services. We analyzed data at individual and commune levels separately for A&T-I and A&T-NI areas. Results: Exposure to television spots was associated with higher EBF in A&T-I and A&T-NI areas. In A&T-I areas, mothers who could recall at least 1 message were more likely to report EBF. In A&T-NI areas, only recall of at least 3 messages was associated with higher EBF. In communes, 1 message recalled corresponded to 17 percentage points higher EBF prevalence in A&T-I and A&T-NI communes, respectively. Conclusions: Mass media should be part of comprehensive programs to promote EBF." (Abstract) more

"Through a systematic review of the literature, this article summarizes and evaluates evidence for the effectiveness of mass media interventions for child survival. To be included, studies had to describe ... a mass media intervention; address a child survival health topic; present quantitative data from a low- or middle-income country; use an evaluation design that compared outcomes using pre- and postintervention data, treatment versus comparison groups, or postintervention data across levels of exposure; and report a behavioral or health outcome. The 111 campaign evaluations that met the inclusion criteria included 15 diarrheal disease, 8 immunization, 2 malaria, 14 nutrition, 1 preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, 4 respiratory disease, and 67 reproductive health interventions. These evaluations were then sorted into weak (n=33), moderate (n=32), and stronger evaluations (n=46) on the basis of the sampling method, the evaluation design, and efforts to address threats to inference of mass media effects. The moderate and stronger evaluations provide evidence that mass media-centric campaigns can positively impact a wide range of child survival health behaviors." (Abstract) more