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Changing gender and social norms, attitudes and behaviours (GSDRC K4D Helpdesk Research Report series 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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Entertainment-Education and child marriage: a scoping study for Girls Not Brides (Center for Media & Health 2017)

Developed by the Center for Media & Health for Girls Not Brides, this report looks at the opportunities and challenges of Entertainment-Education as a way to address child marriage. Informed by a range of practical and theoretical insights, the report analyses a selection of current initiatives, draws out key lessons and provides top tips for practitioners and donors of Entertainment-Education initiatives.

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Handwashing with Soap Toolkit (WSP 2014)

Improving handwashing with soap practices can save children’s lives by reducing preventable diseases like diarrhea and acute respiratory infections. Despite its effectiveness in reducing disease, handwashing with soap is uncommon in many countries. The Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) conducted research with local partners in Peru, Senegal, Tanzania, and Vietnam to understand the factors that affect an individual’s decision to practice handwashing with soap.  The research informed the implementation of handwashing project activities in the four countries. Following national and local government implementation, WSP and its partners gathered valuable lessons, which inform this handwashing with soap toolkit. The toolkit, intended for practitioners interested in behavior change, is organized into four modules, each with reports and presentations about the lessons learned from the projects, as well as mass media, direct consumer contact, and interpersonal communication tools used throughout the project.

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Evidence of Effective SBCC Approaches to Promote Breastfeeding Practices (section 3.2 of ‘Evidence of Effective Approaches to Social and Behavior Change Communication for Preventing and Reducing Stunting and Anemia: Report from a Systematic Literature Review’ SPRING 2014)

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends three primary breastfeeding practices: initiation of breastfeeding within one hour after birth (also referred to as immediate breastfeeding), exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) through six months of age, and continued breastfeeding until 24 months of age (Dyson et al., 2005; WHO, 2008). Evidence associated with the recommendation for immediate breastfeeding is limited and likely operates through the effect of exclusive breastfeeding (Bhutta et al., 2013). The Lancet, therefore, includes only EBF and continued breastfeeding in the modeling of optimal breastfeeding practices cited above.

Despite the promise of optimal breastfeeding practices, rates for the three WHO recommended breastfeeding practices remain low, and negligible progress has been made to increase these rates over the past two decades (UNICEF, 2013). According to an analysis of data from 78 low and middle income countries, rates of immediate breastfeeding range from a mean of 36% in Eastern Europe to a mean of 58% in Latin America, and the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in children one to five months of age is just 30% (Black et al, 2013). According to the UNICEF global database of national surveys from 2007-2011, the current rate of breastfeeding at one year is 76%, while the rate of breastfeeding at age two years is 58%.

This section reviews the effectiveness of social and behavior change communication (SBCC) approaches on improving breastfeeding practices.

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