"With its rapidly expanding penetration within the developing world, mobile telephony offers major new opportunities to build upon and augment existing health communication efforts. As Usha Kiran Tarigopula of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation India Programmes put it: “It is increasingly… clea ... r that mobiles are an important platform and can be a game changer.” This does not mean that mobile phones are a panacea. There isn’t – nor should there be – a one-size-fits-all approach to health communication. Indeed, a growing body of research indicates the value of a more integrated strategy, one that employs mobile platforms alongside interpersonal communication, community-based activities and mass media. But when mHealth is embedded in a programme design that is equitable, highly-targeted and at scale, it has the potential to enable cost-effective solutions for reaching marginalised populations, many of whom lack access to essential health information and services. This policy briefing has demonstrated how this is possible by examining one particular set of mHealth services in the Indian state of Bihar." (Conclusion, page 19) more

"Sex-selective abortion is an increasing problem in India. Previous awareness-raising efforts on the issue have focused largely on the act of abortion, without substantively addressing the context that creates a demand for sex selection. The BBC World Service Trust conducted a research study on how ... best to use the media to address the issue, and concluded that a fictional television drama would be a suitable medium, as it would be able to unravel the reasons for son preference, demonstrate ways in which social pressure can be challenged, and depict women in a variety of roles that would serve to increase their value within the family and society." (Abstract) more