Promotion of a family planning program: the Taiwan model
Sun, T.H.
Southern African Journal of Demography 1(1): 32-42
1987
PMID: 12315628 DOI: 10.2307/20853754Document Number: 361237
Taiwan has been able to reduce its total fertility rate (TFR) from 4.7 (1966) to 1.9 (1985). Demographers have estimated that Taiwan will achieve zero population growth (ZPG) in 70 years if the TFR remains the same, and if the TFR continues to decline, ZPG may be achieved in 40-50 years. Taiwan's 25 year strong family planning program has contributed greatly to this progress. So successful has it been that many family planning researchers and policy makers from around the world have studied the program over its 25 years and it serves as a model for other developing countries. Actual family planning activities include family planning education and promotion to motivate the public to understand the meaning and importance of family planning and subsequently to practice family planning, and the provision of contraceptives to the motivated. Education/promotion consists of home visits, sending congratulatory and informative letters to postpartum parents, establishing a telephone hotline, group education, and using the mass media. The Taiwan program finds that good supervision is a key to a successful program because it links the policy making units to the field and it contributes to maintaining quality fieldwork. Due to a good record system of program inputs, e.g., number of home visits, and outputs, e.g., fertility data, the program can quantitatively evaluate its goals defined in 3-5 year plans. For example, for over 2 decades, it has motivated approximately 90% of fecund women or their husbands to accept at least 1 contraceptive. Researchers hope to soon be able to further evaluate this program by measuring the quality of the program.