Direct Mailings to Promote Family Planning
George P. Cernada · Studies in Family Planning · 1970
Direct mailing is a low-cost method of informing people of family planning and encouraging them to adopt it. A review of the general experience with mailings particularly in Asian family planning programs is the basis of this paper. The Chicago Snowball Information Campaign was the first attempt in the United States to use mailings to promote family planning. 13% of the 4005 persons returned the cards requesting a booklet on family planning. The Meerut District in India was the scene of a study conducted by the Central Family Planning Institute (CFPI) New Delhi. 80% of the mailings reached the target population and the reaction was very successful. The 1 mailing approach in Hong Kong is reported to be unsuccessful. 3 separate mailing campaigns in Korea are discussed and it is asserted that the results have been mixed in terms of success. In Taiwan between 1966 and 1969 pospartum mailings offered a free IUD to the new mother. The offer was valid for 3 months after the child birth. About 4% of the present monthly average of 25000 mailings have been returned for IUD insertions. In addition to mailings used to recruit and sustain contraceptive users mailings have been used for purposes of surveys physician education and contraceptive supply.