Pediatrics 2027

BACKGROUND: Low levels of scholarly achievement, poverty, and geographical isolation are all known to be linked
to early marriage.
AIM: This study aimed at identifying the most credible and the best-suited communication channels (CCs) to reach
rural communities for motivating them to reduce child and adolescent marriage.
METHODS: This study was a community-based cross-sectional systematic formative research. The study targeted
1000 wives who were ever married women in childbearing period aged 15–49 years and their husbands in 21 rural
village units of two governorates of Upper Egypt through questionnaires. Decisions concerning the choice of the
best-suited CCs were based on their reach, frequency, managerial feasibility, and effectiveness. The investigated
CCs included: modern social media (search browser engine/Facebook group and/or twitter/YouTube or messaging
through WhatsApp or any mobile app), traditional mass media (T.V/Radio/Reading), and interpersonal communication
(talk with religious leaders/partners/friends/doctors/health promoters). Comparisons between different CCs were
done using odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
RESULTS: A vast majority of the surveyed wives (96.6%) were married at an age ranging from 15 to 24 years. The
spread of social media through smartphones was limited to only one-third of wives and their husbands through mainly
searching on YouTube (31.7% of wives and 27.8% of husbands). Television was the most accessible means of mass
media for both wives and husbands (72.5% and 63.3%, respectively). The most credible and the best-suited CCs
methods for wives were talking with the health promotors and doctors with 2 times significantly higher (OR = 2.0, CI = 1.7–
2.4 for each one) than that with the search on YouTube and 3 times significantly higher (OR = 3.1, CI = 2.5–3.7 and OR
= 3.1, CI = 2.6–3.8, respectively) than that for social media using browser engine. For husbands, the odds of the most
credible and the best-suited CCs methods were more than 1½ times higher for the talk with the health promotors than
the search on You Tube (OR = 1.6, CI = 1.3–2.0) or the search using browser engine (OR = 1.6, CI = 1.3–1.9), Whereas
the odds were one and a third higher for the talk with the doctor than the search on You Tube (OR = 1.3, CI = 1.1–1.6) or
the search using browser engine (OR = 1.6, CI= 1.1–1.6). Significant difference was detected in favor of the traditional
media as the most credible source of information only for wives’ intention to postpone their children early marriage.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite the availability of recent social media worldwide, rural communities with high illiteracy have
limited access to the internet and limited availability of smartphones. Interpersonal communication is considered
their most effective CCs for achieving equity in reducing child marriage. It seems vital during the implementation of
any strategies toward reproductive health to use not only the media broadcasts, but also to rely on the channels that
are most credible and suitable for the targeted communication to support meeting the unmet need.

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