Development Media International child survival radio campaign, Burkina Faso
A 35-month radio campaign of short spots and interactive drama shows on seven local stations in rural Burkina Faso urging families to seek care for childhood malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea, attend antenatal care and give birth in facilities. It was the first cluster-randomised trial of a mass media campaign with child mortality as the primary outcome.
- Years
- 2012–2015
- Country
- Burkina Faso
- Budget
- Provider cost US$7,749,128 (US$9,146,101 including household costs), 2015 USD (Kasteng et al. 2018)
- Topic
- Child healthInfectious diseaseMalariaMaternal health
- Asks people to
- Seek helpStart
- Strategy
- Entertainment educationSimple instruction
- Channel
- Radio
- Audience
- ParentsMothers and caregivers of children under five and pregnant women in seven rural radio catchment areas with >60% weekly listenership
Evidence
PreregisteredMixed
Cluster RCT, 14 areas (7 intervention, 7 control), NCT01517230 registered before the endline. Primary outcome: no detectable effect on post-neonatal under-5 mortality (risk ratio 1.00, 95% CI 0.82-1.22); mortality fell steeply in both arms. 82% of women recognised the spots at endline. Facility data: under-5 consultations +35% (95% CI 20-51) in year one; new antenatal attendances +6% and facility deliveries +7% (Sarrassat et al., Lancet Glob Health 2018). Midline (20 months): care-seeking for diarrhoea +17.5 pp, antibiotics for fast breathing +29.6 pp, other behaviours little or no change (Sarrassat 2015). Modelled (LiST, not measured) 7.1% average annual reduction in under-5 mortality and about 2,967 lives saved; cost per DALY averted about US$94 (Murray 2018; Kasteng 2018; both DMI co-authored).
Sponsor (who paid)
- Wellcome Trust Foundation, funder
- Planet Wheeler Foundation Foundation, funder
- Development Media International NGO, creator
Credits (who made it)
- Development Media International Creative, 2012-2015 source
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Research evaluation, 2011-2015 source
Related campaigns
Sources
- Sarrassat S et al. Effect of a mass radio campaign on family behaviours and child survival in Burkina Faso: a repeated cross-sectional, cluster-randomised trial. Lancet Glob Health 2018;6(3):e330-e341 evaluation · 2018 · DOI 10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30004-4 · PMID 29433668
- Sarrassat S et al. Behavior change after 20 months of a radio campaign addressing key lifesaving family behaviors for child survival: midline results from a cluster randomized trial in rural Burkina Faso. Glob Health Sci Pract 2015;3(4):557-76 evaluation · 2015 · DOI 10.9745/GHSP-D-15-00153 · PMID 26681704
- Murray J et al. Modelling the effect of a mass radio campaign on child mortality using facility utilisation data and the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). BMJ Glob Health 2018;3(4):e000808 evaluation · 2018 · DOI 10.1136/bmjgh-2018-000808 · PMID 30057797
- Kasteng F et al. Cost-effectiveness and economies of scale of a mass radio campaign to promote household life-saving practices in Burkina Faso. BMJ Glob Health 2018;3(4):e000809 evaluation · 2018 · DOI 10.1136/bmjgh-2018-000809 · PMID 30057798
- Development Media International: Landmark Child Survival RCT sponsor
Research notes
DMI credit and campaign content (152 one-minute spots, 220 ten-minute drama segments, six languages) fetched from the DMI project page 2026-10-22; trial details from PubMed abstracts. Evidence level set to 'preregistered' because the trial was registered (NCT01517230); the registration date relative to the March 2012 launch was not checked. The facility-data and LiST findings are secondary; DMI staff co-authored all papers. See also the Lancet Glob Health correspondence (BBC Media Action's James Deane, PMID 30103992).
Record cases/dmi-burkina-faso-child-survival-radio.json, updated 2026-10-22· Link to this campaign