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Foreword -- Abstract -- Executive summary -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Lessons learned from IEC programs -- 3. Designing effective IEC programs -- 4. Program issues for donor agencies in the 1990s -- 5. Recommendations -- References

The information, education, and communication (IEC) component of family planning programs can create awareness, increase knowledge, build approval, and influence behavior. Well-designed IEC campaigns can help individuals initiate and continue using modern family planning methods. Some important lessons from the past two decades, expecially the 1980s, on designing and developing family planning IEC programs include: (1) the importance of good counseling, since interpersonal communication influences whether, when, and how couples will use family planning; (2) the efficient and effective reach of mass media in conveying convincing family planning messages and the receptivity of audiences to messages via these media; (3) the mutually reinforcing effects of mass media and interpersonal communication; (4) the cost savings and cost recovery that can derive from a family planning program with an IEC component large enough to have a measurable impact (at least 10-25 percent to total project budget); and (5) the importance of being able to evaluate the impact of IEC interventions. This paper recommends appropriate steps for designing effective IEC programs. It also considers the following program issues for donor agencies in the 1990s: building institutional capacity and getting immediate results; building in-country technical skills through technical assistance and the use of intermediary organizations; linking IEC and family planning services; using private-sector expertise; handling opposition and controversy; and supporting IEC at a realistic level. The paper provides detailed recommendations on these issues based upon lessons learned and the authors ' experiences.