With support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and other donors, Population Media Center (PMC) broadcast 2 social-content radio serial dramas in Ethiopia from 2002 to 2004, designed to change reproductive health behaviours. Yeken Kignit (or, Looking Over One's Daily Life) was broadcast in the Amharic language (257 episodes), while Dhimbibba (or, Getting the Best Out of Life), was broadcast in the Oromiffa language (140 episodes). The radio programmes addressed issues of reproductive health and women's status, including HIV/AIDS, family planning, marriage by abduction, education of daughters, spousal communication, and related issues.

In May 2002, just before the serial dramas began broadcasting, an independent research firm carried out a baseline survey among a representative sample of 3,549 men and women of reproductive age in Amhara, Oromia and Addis Ababa regions. A post-broadcast survey was conducted in November-December 2004, just after the serials completed broadcasting. Evaluators interviewed a representative sample of 2,963 men and women from this same age group, in these same regions.

The sample design used was the same for both surveys. The method used was a stratified multistage sampling design in which 4 reporting domains, namely, Amharic-speaking, Oromiffa-speaking, as well as urban and rural residents, were used. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the data from the sampled households. In order to allow comparison and to measure changes, the questionnaire that was used at baseline was also used for the evaluation study (with minor modifications).

A multiple regression analysis was done to eliminate any effects that such factors as income, educational level, age, marital status, ideal number of children, urban or rural place of residence, ethnic group or language may have had on family planning use or HIV testing.

PMC-Ethiopia also collected and analysed audience members’ feedback, which involved: analysis of the contents of 257 scripts of the Amharic serial drama and 140 scripts of the Oromiffa serial drama for social and health themes; analysis of over 15,000 listener letters; analysis of 53 listener groups’ comments (over 6,800 feedback forms); and 62 focus group discussions (FGDs) were carried out in 18 selected regions.

In addition, PMC carried out over 14,000 client exit interviews with the help of health care workers in 48 hospitals and health centres.

• About 45% of women and 47% of men surveyed reported being regular listeners.
• 63% of new clients seeking reproductive health services at 48 clinics in Ethiopia reported that they were listening to one of PMC's dramas, and 26% of new clients named one of the programmes as the primary motivating factor for seeking services. Of new clients who cited radio programmes as the impetus for seeking services, 96% said that they were motivated by one of PMC's dramas, specifically.

• Spousal communication about family planning issues among currently married women increased from 33% to 68%.
• There was a 50% increase in communication between mothers and their children about sexuality issues.
• There were also substantial increases in communication with partners about HIV among listeners.

• Listeners to Yeken Kignit were 5 times more likely than non-listeners to know 3 or more family planning methods.
• 91.1% of women who listened to Yeken Kignit had heard of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), whereas only 54.8% of those who did not listen had heard of STIs. Among men, 93.8% of listeners had heard of STIs; only 67.2% of their non-listening peers had.
• There were also substantial increases in knowledge of modes of transmission and means of prevention of HIV among listeners.

• There was a decrease of 70% in the proportion of respondents to the surveys who said that the decision to use family planning should be made solely by the husband.
• There was a 26 percentage point increase among men and a 15 percentage point increase among women in the belief in a woman's ability to negotiate condom use.
• There was a 51.7 percentage point increase among men and 20.8 percentage point increase among women in recognition of the importance of girls' education.
• There was a 34.7 percentage point increase among men and 13.1 percentage point increase among women in the belief that women are fit to hold public office.
• The proportion of those who think close relatives would "hate them" if they were found to have HIV decreased from 54% to 35% among men, and from 46% to 31% among women.

In addition, there was a consistent decrease in stigma-related attitudes among listeners as compared to non-listeners to Yeken Kignit. In general, listeners were more likely to be comfortable in the same room with someone who was HIV-positive, to spend time with an HIV-positive friend, to be willing to care for an HIV-positive relative, to not be ashamed of a family member who was infected, to let their children play with HIV-positive children, and to believe that HIV-positive women can have healthy pregnancies with appropriate treatment. For example, about 80% of female listeners are willing to take care of a family member who has HIV/AIDS, and about the same percentage would be comfortable spending time with a friend living with the virus. The corresponding figures for non-listeners are 70% and 64%, respectively. The same situation is true among men, except that the difference in percentages between listeners and non-listeners is slightly higher than among women.

• Among married women in the Amhara region who were listeners, there was a 55.1 percentage point increase in those who had ever used family planning methods, while among non-listeners, family planning use increased by only 23.5 percentage points. Among married men in the Amhara region who were listeners, there was a 41.3 percentage point increase in those who had ever used family planning methods, while among non-listeners, family planning use increased by only 16.1 percentage points.
• Female listeners of Yeken Kignit sought HIV tests at 3 times the rate of non-listeners; male listeners of this drama sought tests at 4 times the rate of non-listeners.
• There were also substantial increases in adoption of HIV avoidance measures among listeners.

The fertility rate in Amhara (the most populous region) fell from 5.4 to 4.3 children per woman. Demand for contraceptives increased 157%. The 2005 Demographic and Health Survey found independently that, since 2000, contraceptive prevalence in Ethiopia had increased 133%.