Community mobilisation

Changing gender and social norms, attitudes and behaviours (GSDRC K4D Helpdesk Research Report series 2017)

May 28, 2017

What rigorous evidence is there on what types of programming interventions work to bring about changes in gender and social norms, and changes in wider attitudes and behaviours? This annotated bibliography presents studies of programmes that aim to bring about changes in gender and social norms, and changes in wider attitudes and behaviours. Much of the literature and some programme designs recognise the need to change social norms in order to change behaviours, such as HIV/AIDs prevention and better sanitation and hygiene. The report looks at interventions targeting the individual and inter-relational levels (e.g. workshops); the community level (e.g. community dialogue, community mobilisation and youth initiatives); and the wider societal level (mass media and edutainment). It highlights the effects of such interventions, focusing on rigorous evaluations.

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Methods and approaches to understanding behaviour change (GSDRC Helpdesk Research Report 1,389 University of Birmingham 2016)

September 9, 2016

There are a large number of theories and approaches towards behavioural change derived from disciplines such as psychology, sociology, communication and political science. These theories focus on a number of different levels: the enabling environment; the community; the interpersonal; or the individual. What matters is not only which behaviour change intervention or policy is implemented, but how it is implemented.

Key findings of this rapid review include:

Evidence suggests that behaviour and behaviour change can be best understood when an open theory approach is adopted. This approach acknowledges that the translation of theoretical methods to specific contexts, populations, and cultures is complex.

Information alone is insufficient to support behaviour change. Influencing healthy behaviours and creating a supportive social environment requires the stimulation of learning and participation through regular dialogue with, and within, the target community. Relationships with partners, families, the wider community and society more broadly, can substantially affect how an individual behaves.

Examples of behaviour change approaches in international development are drawn from UNICEF, ActionAid and FHI360.

Efforts to affect behavioural change within the context of Karamoja have focused on nutrition, health and hygiene interventions.

SBCC Pathways for Improved Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition Practices (SPRING 2014)

September 9, 2016

Social and behavior change communication (SBCC) is a behavior-centered approach to facilitating individuals, households, groups, and communities in adopting and sustaining improved health and nutrition related practices. The approach draws upon social science and behavior change theories to address behavior and the environment within which behavior change occurs. SBCC activities can be classified into three basic categories: behavior change communication (BCC), social and community mobilization, and advocacy.

In this paper, SPRING presents pathways between SBCC delivery strategies and improved maternal infant and young child nutrition (MIYCN) practices. These pathways are based on a review of SBCC strategies and theories as well as a systematic literature review exploring the effectiveness of SBCC approaches in changing priority MIYCN practices.

This document is part of an occasional series produced by SPRING staff and consultants on topics of relevance to practitioners in global nutrition.

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On the front line: Community nutrition programming (chapter 2 from ‘Nourishing Millions: Stories of Change in Nutrition’, IFPRI publication 2016)

July 23, 2016

Whatever advances have been made in terms of technologies, interventions, and their delivery platforms in recent decades, it is households and communities that remain on the front lines in combating malnutrition. During the past half century, several significant attempts have been made to initiate and implement community-based nutrition programs. This chapter assesses the evolution and performance of such approaches, highlighting several case studies.

Nourishing Millions: Stories of Change in Nutrition brings together the most intriguing stories from the past five decades to show what works in nutrition, what does not, and the factors that contribute to success.

Community Video for Nutrition Guide: Using Participatory, Community-Led Videos to Improve Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition (SPRING, Digital Green 2015)

March 20, 2016

This Community Video for Nutrition Guide is a joint product of SPRING and Digital Green (DG), an international nongovernmental organization (NGO) registered in the United States and India. This guide is based on our organizations’ combined experience in implementing a proof of concept project between January and October 2013, formally known as the SPRING/DG Collaboration and Feasibility Study. This 10-month project focused on integrating content on high-impact maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN) practices, including information on key hygiene-related behaviors, into the existing DG community-led video project, which is predominantly focused on promoting improved agricultural practices among small-scale and marginal women farmers. The target audience was pregnant women and/or mothers with children under the age of two participating in existing self-help groups (SHGs) in 30 villages in two blocks of Keonjhar District of Odisha, India. The SHGs also included a wider representation of female community members, who were targeted as key influencers for the recommended behaviors. Given that the target audience included a large number of influencers that wouldn’t be adopting the practices themselves, the project not only tracked adoptions, but also promotions of MIYCN behaviors.

The guide is specifically intended to provide organizations, projects, and practitioners interested in using or testing community video for MIYCN with the critical information and tools needed to initiate, produce, and disseminate a participatory community-video approach for MIYCN. This guide is intended to be used in combination with DG standard operating procedures (SOPs), which can be accessed openly on its website linked here. Although focused on promoting MIYCN, the Guide builds on the DG agriculture focused platform, to which other content can be added or emphasized, such as information promoting sexual and reproductive health and family planning, nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices, community institution building, government schemes, animal husbandry, financial inclusion programs, nonfarm income-generating activities, and a whole range of other topics.

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