Fostering reproductive health through entertainment-education in the Peruvian Amazon: The social construction of Bienvenida Salud!

Abstract

Baseline survey data are integrated into an ethnographic understanding of locally situated knowledge to evaluate how radio entertainment-education regarding reproductive health is socially constructed in the riverine communities of the Peruvian Amazon. Focus group interviews, sustained participant observation, in-depth interviews, letters from radio listeners, and input from trained peer promoters complement the survey data. Employment of culturally sensitive, multiple methods makes findings more intelligible and coherent, provides practical wisdom for action, and heightens awareness of the joint ownership of ethical responsibilities on the part of the researcher and the researched.