The role of Social Behaviour Change in fostering development initiatives | Experts’ Opinions

DevelopmentAid: How does the concept of SBC contribute to the effectiveness of international development initiatives?

“It’s often said, “Be the change you want to see.” But change is not easy, and sustaining change is even more challenging. Conducive social factors such as our family, friends, peers, cultural practices, and economic policies can help to make the change smoother. International development initiatives are addressing this social fabric through SBC strategies in program designs for health, water, sanitation, education, social protection, gender equity, etc. Previously, these programs had a top-down approach with mass media campaigns and interpersonal communication, focusing only on enhancing knowledge and awareness about issues. It was widely believed that this would encourage individuals and communities to adopt new behaviors. However, this “spray and pray” approach had limited impact. Development initiatives are now adopting human-centric design principles, and SBC programs address the socio-ecological environment challenges around us. This consideration helps to initiate and sustain the change that the people want to see.”

“SBC specifically aims to change behavior and social norms through effective messages for targeted communities to address a specific initiative. Given these messages will address multiple audiences, SBC will achieve its objectives through a corresponding assortment of approaches. The combination of these approaches will provide multiple opportunities for exposure through a consistent theme that will link the strategy and activities together. Given the scale of the target behavior among the target communities, the choice of the desired SBC tools is largely individual and interpersonal. This analysis also prioritized the theory of change for planned behavior on the targeted initiatives.”

“In international development, SBC significantly enhances the impact and sustainability of development initiatives. By understanding and influencing human behavior and the social environment, SBC addresses complex social challenges and drives positive change on a global scale. It recognizes that sustainable development empowers individuals and communities to make informed decisions and adopt behaviors that lead to lasting change. By targeting social norms, attitudes, and beliefs that hinder progress, SBC strategies promote behavior change and foster community engagement. In addition, it helps to build community trust and credibility which are essential for successful development projects. Involving community members in designing and implementing SBC initiatives ensures culturally appropriate and responsive interventions. Another critical aspect of SBC is behavior change communication, using evidence-based strategies to promote positive behaviors and address barriers to change. Through media, interpersonal communication, and community mobilization, SBC campaigns can effectively reach target audiences and inspire action.”

“SBC is key to enhancing the effectiveness of international development initiatives by promoting sustainable behavior changes through evidence-based strategies that are culturally relevant. The approach aims to understand and influence human behaviors and social norms by creating strategies based on a comprehensive understanding of the cultural, social, and psychological factors of the target population. It involves communities in the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs, empowering individuals and ensuring that interventions are culturally appropriate and well-received. By addressing the root causes of behaviors and promoting lasting changes in attitudes and practices, SBC supports sustainable development, which is different from approaches that just address immediate needs without considering long-term behavior change.”

“SBC is the process of informing people about what they should do, guiding them on when and how to do it, and motivating them to promote healthy growth and development. Different tools and techniques, such as Interpersonal Communication (IPC), Community Mobilization (CM), and Mass Communication (MC), are used to achieve these goals. IPC is a very strong tool that uses a core set of messages based on behavior change theory and understanding what mothers feel. Similarly, the CM technique engages and mobilizes the community to bring about positive changes for the people, by the people. Among all the approaches in behavior change, MC holds very strong tools that can positively impact people’s lives. Messages using MC persist in both the head and the heart. This is why the Government of Bangladesh and various organizations have developed numerous audio and video materials to raise awareness, motivate, and guide the target population. Advocacy is important for gaining institutional and policy support to mainstream any intervention at scale.”

“SBC includes two core components: Social change and behavior change. Social change means the transformation of certain aspects of society.

• Changes in a developing society’s perceptions may be related to normal behaviors or ideal and bad behaviors
• Changes in a society’s perceptions of gender roles and how men and women, boys and girls “should” behave, interact with others, and do in their roles as husbands and fathers, wives and mothers, daughters, sons, sisters and brothers, grandmother, grandfathers
• Changes in selected policies, systems, and structures that will influence nutrition-related behaviors and practices.

Broad interventions that can promote social change include mass media campaigns including the strategic use of social media, advocacy and lobbying, government actions, and policies.

Behavior change occurs most often at the individual level, family/household level, peer groups, neighborhoods, and close social networks (e.g., congregations, associations, clubs, local schools, etc.). Behavior change is influenced by a variety of factors that can either facilitate or inhibit the change. People may change the way they interact with each other, and they may change their usual roles in their families, groups or communities if the SBC strategy has a strong “gender transformation” component that underlies social change as well as behavior change. The SBC strategy can be implemented through communities and households but relies on supporting actions to improve communities through interventions in the different developmental sectors such as health, agriculture, education and water, sanitation and hygiene.”

“SBC is pivotal in international development as it focuses on understanding and influencing the underlying behaviors and social norms that drive outcomes. SBC strategies are grounded in research and leverage communication, community engagement, and policy advocacy to promote sustainable change. By addressing the root causes of issues and engaging communities in the development process, SBC enhances the relevance, acceptance, and sustainability of development initiatives. This holistic approach ensures that interventions are culturally sensitive and align with the values and practices of the target population, thereby increasing their effectiveness and impact.”

DevelopmentAid: Can you provide examples of successful SBC interventions that have significantly impacted international development outcomes?

“During the design of the SBC program update on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and Family Planning (FP) services in the remote communities of Pakistan, we particularly focused on male community members and their engagement by enhancing their knowledge on SRH and FP issues. This was conducted through the establishment of Husbands Schools at union council level and provided FP education to the husbands who enrolled at these schools. Various SBC tools and techniques were deployed to increase positive male involvement in SRH/FP and this promises to improve the healthcare status of women in the intervention’s districts. Approaching male community members was ultimately designed to influence the health status of married women of reproductive age and address their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) were necessary to increase FP uptake. It was therefore critical that the Married Women of Reproductive Ages (MWRAs) were also reached as a primary audience. Beyond reaching these women through male community actors, Community Resource Persons in areas not covered by Lady Health Worker met with MWRAs and provided information and knowledge on the SRHR issues faced by women in accessing FP services, available contraceptive choices, and using the health facilities. There has also been an effort for the facilitators/coaches at the Husbands Schools to establish a broader reach by including the community and husbands directly engaging with women. The effort therefore has been to not only use male community actors as intermediaries who affect women, but for husbands to also try to directly interact with their women in the target communities.”

“In the field of international development, SBC interventions have proven to be practical tools to drive positive change and foster sustainable development. Here are some examples:

• Family Planning Programs: SBC interventions promote family planning and reproductive health, empowering women and couples to make informed decisions. By addressing cultural barriers and misconceptions, these programs increase access to contraceptives and reduce maternal and infant mortality rates.
• HIV/AIDS Prevention Initiatives: SBC interventions raise awareness about HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention strategies. They promote safe sexual practices and regular testing and reduce stigma, contributing to a decline in new HIV infections and improved access to treatment and care.
• Nutrition Education Programs: SBC interventions targeting nutrition education combat malnutrition and food insecurity. They promote healthy eating habits, breastfeeding practices, and micronutrient supplementation, improving child growth and development outcomes.”

“Social behavior change is now gaining more recognition and application beyond health, extending to climate action, economic empowerment, and energy, among others. By addressing social norms, attitudes, and behaviors, these interventions create lasting change and improve the well-being of individuals and communities worldwide. Harnessing the potential of SBC in development efforts paves the way for a more sustainable and equitable future.”

“The impact of SBC interventions in international development has been significant. For example, in Uganda, the ABC campaign successfully reduced HIV prevalence through mass media and community mobilization. In South Asia, the WASH initiative improved public health by eliminating open defecation through community-led efforts. In Bangladesh, the BRAC Manoshi program improved maternal and child health through community health workers, and Nigeria’s Polio Plus Program has eradicated polio through immunization campaigns and community engagement.”

“Important findings from a survey conducted by Alive & Thrive, before and after the project, show a sharp change made possible due to IPC, Community Mobilization, and Mass Communication using different SBC materials. Alive & Thrive has numerous high-quality, evidence-based SBCC materials (posters, brochures, job aids, TV spots, documentaries) that we always use at different levels as good references. SBC is a high-impact, sustainable, and cost-effective approach that should be considered as a key intervention in any project or program to bring about positive changes at the individual level, community level, society level, and national level.”

“The SBC approach has been used in Tanzania to unite different interventions to improve the dietary practices of pregnant and lactating women and adolescent girls, infant and young child feeding practices, the demand for nutrition and health services, and hygiene and sanitation practices among households. Improved health outcomes have been observed including stunting of the under-fives, women’s dietary diversity, gender equality and improved WASH practices. The results of one of the USAID Lishe Endelevu projects (2018-2023) showed that exposure to nutrition knowledge through the SBC platforms led to improved Infant and Young Child Feeding practices of old.”

“One notable example of a successful SBC intervention is the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) program. Implemented in various countries, including India and Bangladesh, CLTS encourages communities to collectively recognize the importance of sanitation and work towards becoming open defecation-free. By fostering community participation and ownership, CLTS has led to significant improvements in hygiene practices, reduced incidences of waterborne diseases, and enhanced overall public health. Another example is the use of mass media campaigns to combat HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Programs such as the “Love Life” campaign in South Africa utilized television, radio, and social media to disseminate information about HIV prevention, testing, and treatment. These campaigns successfully altered risky behaviors, increased the uptake of HIV testing, and reduced the stigma associated with the disease, ultimately contributing to lower HIV infection rates.”

DevelopmentAid: While SBC interventions offer significant potential for promoting positive behaviour change and advancing development goals, not all international organisations integrate this approach. Why?

“The overall aim of SBC interventions in international organizations or projects is to develop and deliver relevant SBC programming so that they can improve the uptake of relevant behaviors or services more effectively and systematically. Various SBC tools and materials can be used to provide a step-by-step approach to integrate SBC interventions into existing systems/approaches. The primary audiences for any SBC interventions will be the senior management teams or projects teams and coaches/mentors of given project scales who are responsible for integrating SBC messages into the target beneficiaries. When deployed from SBC programming, the tools and messages can deliver the following key steps:

• Understanding SBC concepts, theories and frameworks. The SBC tools/messages will deliver capacity-building workshops for staff and coaches, the information and background material to help them to understand relevant concepts, theories, and the frameworks used for SBC.
• Assessing and improving their current level of SBC integration. The SBC tools/materials will implement checklists to help communities to recognize the existing gaps and needs, and take the necessary actions to incorporate SBC and address these gaps and needs as they adapt and use their SBC material and interventions.
• Develop and Deliver. Assist Communities in adapting and using a series of relevant SBC tools and interventions. The SBC material will provide messages and resources to help target groups to acquire and use relevant information and processes specific to the needs of the target audience.”

“There are several reasons why international organizations struggle with the effective integration of SBC interventions:

• Lack of expertise: Some organizations may not have the necessary expertise or understanding of SBC methodologies, making implementation challenging.
• Resource constraints: Limited budgets and competing priorities can hinder organizations from investing in SBC initiatives.
• Cultural sensitivity: SBC interventions require a deep understanding of cultural nuances and contexts, which some organizations may struggle to navigate.
• Political considerations: Political dynamics and agendas within organizations or among stakeholders can influence decision-making and prioritize other activities over SBC.
• Short-term focus: Organizations often prioritize short-term outcomes over long-term behavior change, neglecting SBC interventions that require sustained efforts.
• Measurement challenges: Measuring the impact of SBC interventions can be complex, which may discourage organizations from investing in them.
• Resistance to change: Organizational resistance to adopting new approaches or paradigms can impede the integration of SBC initiatives.

To overcome these barriers, it is important to focus on building capacity, fostering collaboration, prioritizing cultural competence, and emphasizing the long-term benefits of SBC interventions.”

“Challenges such as lack of awareness, resource constraints, and cultural sensitivity issues hinder the widespread integration of SBC into international organizations. Implementing SBC interventions often requires significant investment in research, capacity building, and community engagement. Organizations with limited resources may prioritize more straightforward, less resource-intensive approaches. Measuring behavior change and its impact can also be challenging, as organizations may find it difficult to attribute changes directly to SBC interventions due to the influence of various external factors.”

“Most donors are pressed to showcase results quickly. Participatory engagement with the community, a cornerstone of SBC strategies, is a slow process, hence it is often ignored during research and implementation. Qualitative monitoring and evaluation of behavior change progress is also a cost-intensive, time-consuming exercise, so it also takes a back seat. Results-based funding models further encourage donors to go for “low-hanging fruit” in program design and get the job done. Hence, SBC is symbolically integrated but not effectively practiced in organizations.”

“SBC approaches require multiple interventions that are specific to the areas where change is needed. This approach also requires a longer time to realize impact. However, most development work is of shorter duration and tends to prefer single platforms, even though it is evident that multiple SBC platforms bring more impact to the community.”

“Several factors contribute to the limited integration of SBC interventions by international organizations. One primary reason is the lack of awareness and understanding of SBC methodologies and their benefits. Additionally, SBC requires a long-term commitment and investment in research, community engagement, and capacity building, which can be resource-intensive. Organizations may also face challenges in measuring the impact of SBC interventions due to their qualitative nature and the difficulty in attributing behavior change to specific activities. Furthermore, cultural and contextual differences can complicate the design and implementation of SBC strategies, making organizations hesitant to adopt these without robust, context-specific evidence of their effectiveness.”

See also: The widening human development gap between rich and poor states | Experts’ Opinions

Understanding and applying theories and models of behavior change, conducting qualitative and quantitative research, and having excellent communication skills are among the top competencies required to become a social and behavior change expert. Health, nutrition, education, and the environment are among the sectors where SBC interventions are most needed. The DevelopmentAid platform provides access to more than 6,000 jobs in international development sectors, enabling SBC experts to easily find the most appropriate opportunities. For Individual Professional Members, access to the job boards is fully open, as well as access to tenders, grants, and many other resources.