Do family planning messages improve antenatal care utilization? Evidence from Tajikistan.

OBJECTIVE: We assess the effects of TV family planning messages on the frequency and timing of antenatal care utilization in Tajikistan. Instrumental variable regressions are used with Tajikistan's 2012 nationally-representative Demographic and Health Survey to address confounding bias.

METHODS: For the continuous outcome variable, number of antenatal visits, we use the instrumental variable linear two-stage least square (2SLS). For the binary outcome variable, the first antenatal visit made during the first trimester of pregnancy, we use instrumental variable biprobit.

RESULTS: As suggested by 2SLS results, women who had been exposed to family planning messages on TV made additional 1.2 antenatal visits. As indicated by the biprobit results, exposure to TV family planning messages increases the likelihood of early initiation of ANC by 11 percentage points.

CONCLUSION: Family planning messages on TV has strong direct positive impact on antenatal care utilization in Tajikistan.