 The Drum Beat – 655 – SBCC and Health Communication |
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| The Communication Initiative (The CI) and Soul Beat Africa send you this Drum Beat to announce two new health-focused theme sites, which are supported by the Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3), based at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs.
Please visit the following URLs to learn about health communication, knowledge sharing around it, evidence, and impact:
Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), HC3 works to foster vibrant communities of practice at the national, regional, and global level that support improved evidence-based programming and continued innovation in social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) programmes focused primarily on: family health, community action, HIV/AIDS (condoms and male circumcision), child survival, family planning (FP), and malaria. |
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| SBCC GROUNDING: P PROCESS TOOL |
| 1. The P-Process: SBCC Capacity Strengthening Tools |
| First developed in 1982, the P Process is a step-by-step roadmap for guidance from a loosely defined concept about changing behaviour to a strategic and participatory programme that is grounded in theory and has measurable impact. The update «incorporates lessons learned and acknowledges the real-time, dynamic nature of the strategic process as well as new technologies and the constantly changing nature of communication, social norms, individual behavior and decision-making. It draws from many other disciplines, including design theory, behavioral economics, social psychology and anthropology.» [HC3, Nov 2013] |
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2. Leadership in Strategic Health Communication: Making a Difference in Infectious Diseases and Reproductive Health
by Benjamin V. Lozare, Ph.D, Douglas Storey, Ph.D, and Michael Bailey, MA |
| This resource offers an integrated approach to learning health communication, presenting a guide for a P-Process-based workshop via classroom presentations, discussions, and the SCOPE (Strategic Communication Planning and Evaluation) interactive software programme. Figure 3 on page 16 illustrates «a fundamental redesign of the maternal health production system….[which] transforms the system by changing the traditional hierarchical relationships….The program managers can concurrently learn how to work with communities in their specific cultural context to develop program outputs that will acceptably introduce new values, practices, knowledge and skills as well as technologies and services to improve their resourcefulness and in the production of health…» [Apr 2013] |
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| HEALTH COMM INITIATIVES AND LEARNING IN NON-OECD COUNTRIES |
| 3. Families Matter Program |
| From Tanzania, this evidence-based intervention intends to improve parenting skills and family/parent-child communication about risk reduction, sexuality, and other sex-related topics before adolescents (9-12 years old) begin sexual activity. As part of one element, the FMP team worked with and trained sub-grantees to conduct community mobilisation with parents. Methods used to mobilise parents were: public address systems (PA), door-to-door visits, word of mouth, and distribution of invitation fliers through primary school students. [T-MARC Tanzania, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Tanzania Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Human Development Trust, Children and Youth Development Organization (CYODO), and Wanawake Na Maendeleo (WAMA) Foundation] |
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4. HIV Prevention and Treatment for Adolescents: A Social Study of Africaid Whizzkids United’s Comprehensive Model
by Dr. Mandisa Mbali |
| Africaid works to provide comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services to adolescents living with HIV in a KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Health Academy has reportedly experienced success in bolstering its clients’ antiretroviral (ARV) adherence through accurate and empathetic counselling of clients in what is intended to be a welcoming environment to young people. Amongst the offerings: recreational facilities and activities such as WhizzKids United «On the Ball» football curriculum, which seeks to cultivate qualities in its young participants such as self-efficacy, a love of learning, support and promotion of gender equality, and an appreciation for the positive dimensions of an active lifestyle. [Sep 2013] |
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| 5. What’s Your Story? Jamaica SBCC Materials for Men Who Have Sex With Men |
| MSM groups identified a need for SBCC materials on men’s health and other issues for use by community educators serving MSM, their friends, and their family, and for themselves to access independently. In response, C-Change conducted a series of workshops with MSM in Jamaica and in the Bahamas; contextual challenges, gaps, and needs related to health were explored. A review of the literature in addition to the findings from several research studies conducted by C-Change also informed the content for these materials, which include: a comic book, posters, factsheets, scripts of the comic book, and a manual. |
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| 6. Young People Today, Time to Act Now |
| This report was developed to provide a regional assessment of the current status of HIV and sexuality education and SRH services for adolescents and young people in Eastern and Southern Africa and to provide an evidence base for discussion related to policy change and programming. Evidence has shown that comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) that is scientifically accurate, culturally and age-appropriate, gender sensitive, and life-skills-based can provide young people with the knowledge, skills, and efficacy to make informed decisions about their sexuality and lifestyle. [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 2013]
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| FAMILY PLANNING DEMAND |
7. Approaches to Mobile Outreach Services for Family Planning: A Descriptive Inquiry in Malawi, Nepal, and Tanzania
by Jane Wickstrom, John Yanulis, Lynn Van Lith, and Barbara Jones |
| Mobile FP outreach services involve teams of trained providers traveling to provide FP services and, for this study, long-acting and permanent methods of contraception (LA/PMs). This study of those services carried out amongst 20 facilities is based upon interviews with more than 150 providers, clients, managers, and policymakers in Malawi, Nepal, and Tanzania in areas with limited or no FP or health services. It explored strategies such as demand creation through interpersonal communication (IPC) and community mobilisation through village health workers and/or volunteers (who conduct community talks or make house-to-house visits), loudspeakers in marketplaces, posters, and radio. Successful mobile outreach services for FP respect client choice, provide high-quality services that are close to the client’s home, offer services at no or low cost to clients, and draw on community engagement (mobilisation, education, and counselling activities) to clarify the differences between mobile services providing LA/PMs and routine services. [The RESPOND Project with the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs (JHU-CCP), Aug 2013] |
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| 8. Tékponon Jikuagou (TJ) Project |
| Running from 2010 to 2015, this project is designed to address unmet FP needs in Benin by intervening through women’s and men’s social networks. TJ is exploring the power of social networks to improve health behaviours through Social Network Analysis theory and methods that explain the influence of social networks on individual behaviour by mapping relationships within a community. This approach allows researchers to identify the most connected and influential individuals within a given network and various channels through which information flows. Interventions then work with key actors in individuals’ social networks, as well as the network structures themselves, to promote reflection on existing social norms, allowing people to recognise for themselves how norms and attitudes may negatively influence reproductive health and FP. [Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health, CARE, a! nd Plan International with USAID funding] |
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| 9. Urban Health Initiative (UHI) India |
| The goal of UHI is to improve maternal and infant survival in urban settings, with an emphasis on strategies to expand access to and use of FP in an effort to improve the health of the urban economically poor, especially in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The initiative supports the implementation and scale-up of effective evidence-based strategies, as well as the testing of promising innovations. UHI’s communication strategies include: (i) mass media such as TV and radio spots, behavioural films, role model films, and activation in select cities that segment audiences by FP choices in mass media and sustain demand by building negotiation skills and addressing method-specific fears and concerns;(ii) client outreach and community mobilisation that leverage IPC through community-based resources (peer educators, resource centres, self-help groups, etc.) to increase awareness and drive behaviour change t! o increase and sustain correct use; and (iii) social marketing. [Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation] |
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| 10. mCenas! Project |
| This text message education campaign seeks to identify and address myths and misconceptions related to FP among youth 15-24 years old in Mozambique through stories and informational short message service (SMS) messages. First, a story is delivered through SMS messages that youth can relate to and draw on for further dialogue and reflection with peers. Informational messages about contraceptive methods are also distributed. For example, when a character in the story starts talking about a intrauterine device (IUD), the mobile user will receive a message that says, «If you’d like to learn more about IUD, reply 1′» If they do, they will receive an informational message about IUD. The project uses activistas, young peer educators, to get young people subscribed to the mCensas SMS system. [Pathfinder International, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)] |
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11. Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Programs in Humanitarian Settings: An In-depth Look at Family Planning Services
by Mihoko Tanabe and Jennifer Schlecht |
| This year-long exercise mapped existing adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) programmes that effectively integrate SRH services, including FP, that have been implemented since 2009 in humanitarian settings. Successful programmes: have secured community and adolescent involvement; are responsive to the different needs of adolescent sub-populations; and provide holistic and multi-sectoral services, including protection, life skills, literacy, numeracy, vocational training, and livelihood skills, among other relevant services. [The Women’s Refugee Commission and Save the Children in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dec 2012]
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| CHILD SURVIVAL INTERVENTIONS: IMPACT OF SBCC |
12. How Effective are Community Health Workers?
by Henry Perry and Rose Zulliger |
| Prepared for the MDG Health Alliance, this document serves to provide an update and supplement to a 2010 review of community health workers (CHWs) done by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Health Workforce Alliance. One finding: CHWs can provide pregnant women with basic education on healthy and hygienic pregnancy, birth, and newborn care during prenatal home visits. «An analysis of combined results of eight studies [in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan] of home-based newborn care provided by CHWs indicates that newborn mortality can be reduced by 24% using this approach.» Participatory learning and action groups that build self-awareness, such as the Care Group model, have shown statistically significant reductions in neonatal mortality, with a 30% reduction in Nepal and a 32% reduction in India. Child health days and family interventions that package immunisations with other FP and birth-related care are also shown to be effective. [Sep 2012] |
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| 13. The Liga Inan Project – Timor Leste |
| This project uses mobile phones to connect expectant mothers with health care providers in Timor-Leste to improve the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy and birth. The emphasis of most of the messages consisted of cues to action (e.g., having 4 antenatal care (ANC) visits and using a skilled birth attendant). Training was conducted to introduce the smart phones for patient enrolment and for other key mobile phone functions. In addition, midwives were trained in better estimation of birth date, how to respond to questions over the phone, and general communication with pregnant women with the goal of helping them to strengthen communication and engagement with their patients and promote healthier mothers and babies. A monitoring and evaluation process collects utilisation data on key indicators. [Health Alliance International (HAI) with Catalpa International, in partnership with Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Health (MOH) and with USAID funding] |
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| 14. Family Planning & Immunization Integration Toolkit |
| One section of this toolkit focuses on SBCC, which is «a research-based, consultative process that uses communication strategies to facilitate change with the aim of improving health outcomes. SBCC is guided by a comprehensive ecological theory that incorporates both individual level change and change at broader environmental and structural levels. Within family planning and immunization integration efforts, SBCC serves a critical role for building buy-in and generating demand for both services, promoting high quality provider/client interactions, and ensuring that information shared by vaccinators and family planning providers is strategic (informed by findings from formative research; complemented by reliable, convenient services) and clearly relayed to clients.» This section of the toolkit provides a range of tools and materials for designing a strategic approach integrated service delivery, including tools for formative assessment, sample job aids, and information, education, and communication (IEC) materials, as well as guidance on SBCC strategy design. [Family Planning and Immunization Integration Working Group]
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| IMPACT OF COMMUNITY MOBILISATION APPROACHES ON HEALTH OUTCOMES |
| 15. Implementing Comprehensive HIV/STI Programmes with Sex Workers: Practical Approaches from Collaborative Interventions |
| With community empowerment as the foundation, this tool offers practical advice on implementing HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) programmes for and with sex workers. It seeks to explain how to implement the recommendations in a guidance document on prevention and treatment of HIV and other STIs for sex workers in low- and middle-income countries, which was published in 2012 by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and the Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP). For example, in addition to describing 8 elements of community empowerment, with examples from a number of programmes, chapter 1 also presents examples of indicators to measure the empowerment of sex worker organisations (Section 1.3) and a list of resources and further reading (Section 1.4). [Oct 2013] |
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| 16. Africa Indoor Residual Spraying (AIRS) Project |
| Working with families and communities in 13 malaria-endemic African countries, AIRS uses IEC and behaviour change communication (BCC) methodologies to ensure proper vacating of premises, adherence to safety precautions, and post-spray maintenance of house walls. Examples of activities include: community dialogues (community-based forums and call-in radio shows) to dispel myths or allay concerns about the spray process, discussions with mothers at antenatal clinics, and door-to-door visits (with women well represented among community mobilisers and spray operators) to increase acceptance of indoor residual spraying. The project has also developed a mobile phone application to facilitate communication. According to Abt Associates, in 2012, AIRS protected 6.82 million people in Africa from malaria, including 182,524 pregnant women and 1.22 million children under five. [Abt Associates, in collaboration with National Malaria Control Program, with funding by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-led President’s Malaria Initiative] |
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17. The Effect of Reproductive Health Communication Interventions on Age at Marriage and First Birth in Rural Bihar, India: A Retrospective Study
by Elkan E. Daniel and Rema Nanda |
| The Promoting Change in Reproductive Behavior: PRACHAR intervention was designed to improve the reproductive behaviour of adolescents and young adults in India through FP. The programme used an intensive, broad-based community approach in an effort to reach a large proportion of the population in 3 districts of the state of Bihar and to change beliefs, attitudes, and practices among adolescents, young married couples, and parents and influential adult figures in these communities. Community teams were charged with writing their own scripts for plays, songs, and puppet shows dramatising the hazards of early childbearing and promoting the advantages of FP and child spacing. The adolescent reproductive and sexual health (ARSH) education activity consisted of education sessions given 5 hours a day for 3 days for 7,451 girls and 16,136 boys between 15 and 19. [Pathfinder International/India, Jan 2012]
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| This issue of The Drum Beat was written by Kier Olsen DeVries. |
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| The Drum Beat is the email and web network of The Communication Initiative Partnership – Partners: ANDI, BBC Media Action, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Breakthrough, Calandria, Citurna TV, DFID, Eldis, FAO, Fundación Imaginario, Fundación Nuevo Periodismo, Heartlines, Iberoamericano (FNPI), IFPRI, Inter-American Development Bank, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs, MISA, Open Society Foundations, Oxfam Novib, PAHO, The Panos Institute, Puntos de Encuentro, The Rockefeller Foundation, SAfAIDS, Sesame Workshop, Soul City, STEPS International, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, USAID, The Wellcome Trust, World Health Organization (WHO), W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.
Chair of the Partners Group: Garth Japhet, Founder, Soul City garth@heartlines.org.za
Executive Director: Warren Feek wfeek@comminit.com |
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| The Editor of The Drum Beat is Kier Olsen DeVries. |
| Please send additional project, evaluation, strategic thinking, and materials information on communication for development at any time. Send to drumbeat@comminit.com
The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.
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This publication is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of Agreement No. AID-OAA-A-12-00058. The contents are the responsibility of The Communication Initiative and the Health Communication Capacity Collaborative, based at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs, and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. |
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Blog de Octavio Islas 