Health Communication Quiz

Behavioural Change Communication

• Behavioural Change Communication (BCC) is a strategic use of communication to promote positive health outcomes.
• BCC is also known as social and behavior change communication (SBCC).
• BCC encompasses health communication, social and community mobilization, information, education, and communication (IEC) strategies.
• BCC is an interactive process that works with individuals, communities, and societies to develop communication strategies appropriate to their settings.

Objectives of Health and BCC Activities

• Understanding how BCC promotes behavioural change
• Understanding the role of BCC in program implementation
• Evaluating the importance of BCC
• Examining challenges associated with BCC

Background

• Behavioural change involves a series of steps, which may sometimes move forward, backward, or may skip some steps.
• Individuals, communities, or institutions may revert to previous behaviours under certain circumstances.
• For effective communication, careful consideration of channels and target audiences is critical.

Introduction

• BCC applies targeted messages and approaches to promote healthy behaviours and reduce risk-taking.
• BCC is based on proven theories and models of behavior change.
• BCC helps promote change in knowledge, attitudes, norms, beliefs, and behaviours.
• BCC is an interactive process integrated with program interventions.

Difference between Social Change and BCC

• BCC and social change can be seen as interchangeable and involve coordinating messages across different channels to reach various levels of society (individual, community, services, and policy).
• BCC is grounded in theory and evidence.
• BCC and Social Change are commonly used interchangeably in recent years.
• Historically a distinction was made, where social change was seen as separate from BCC.

Difference between Social Change and BCC (Continued)

• Social Change is a continuous learning process of behaviours.

• Social Change argues it is possible to understand behaviours and add it to one's repertoire, but not necessarily produce it.

• Social Change believes reinforcement of behaviour models will encourage further production.

• Behavioural Change Communication (BCC) is a one-way model where learnt behaviours are produced immediately.

• BCC suggests behaviour change can be reinforced, with performance and learning associated when behaviours are put to use.

• BCC's reinforcement is mostly motivated by cognitive factors which might be different for different persons.

Health Communication

• Health communication is used to inform and influence community and individual decisions for better health outcomes.
• It aims to improve and enrich personal and community behaviors and public health practices.
• Health communication includes health education, risk communication, health and policy advocacy, outbreak communication, provider/patient communication, and health literacy.
• Disseminating vital health information is a key function of Health Communication to help support high-quality healthcare.

Characteristics of Health Communication

• BCC involves information, education, motivation, persuasion, counselling, raising morals, and health development.

Components of Health Communication

• Research-based strategies are crucial for shaping materials and selecting channels for audience specific needs.
• Considering cultural norms, understanding of conventional wisdom, concepts, languages, and priorities, is of ultimate importance.
• Cultural competency of target populations, health literacy, internet access, and media exposure are important factors in considering.
• Different media outlets such as brochures, billboards, newspaper articles, television, radio, digital tools, pamphlets, etc. are used in BCC.

Steps in Developing an Effective BCC Strategy

• State program goals
• Involve stakeholders
• Identify target populations
• Conduct formative BCC assessments.
• Segment target audiences
• Define behavioural change objectives
• Design BCC strategy plan with monitoring and evaluation
• Develop and ensure communication products and activities
• Pre-test communication materials
• Evaluate the program, and re-design as needed.

Steps in Effective Behaviour Communication Change Strategy

• Pre-test communication products and activities of the plan
• Implement and monitor program
• Evaluate the program
• Analyze feedback and re-design the program according to identified needs.

Stages of Behaviour Communication Change

• Unaware, Aware, Concerned, Knowledgeable, Motivated to change, Practicing trial behavior change, Sustained behavior change. This is the process people go through when the behavioural change is taken place.

Strategic Roles for Behaviour Communication Change

• BCC differs from ordinary instructional methods as it's target specific to address social groups.
• BCC requires careful consideration of risk factors, vulnerability, and how transmission dynamics may change.
• BCC needs to be able to help people with asymptomatic conditions to comply with treatment.

Strategic Roles for Behaviour Communication Change(Continued)

• BCC aims to inform communities about optimal timing of infection control interventions.
• It's essential to understand changing diagnostic concerns and treatment guidelines.
• Assessing obstacles and conflicts towards desired behaviour change.
• Identifying best messages and communication channels to reach specific target groups.
• Evaluating existing knowledge, resources, behaviours, and attitudes of target groups towards the change.

Strategic Frameworks for BCC

• Stages in behaviour change (Unaware, Aware, etc.)
• Enabling factors (providing effective communication, creating an enabling environment, providing user friendly services.)
• Channels (mass media, community networks, etc).

Importance of BCC Based on Level of Care

• Individual level: Increase knowledge, encourage appropriate attitudes, enhance well-being practices, improve aptitudes and self-efficacy.
• Community level: Encourage community ownership and replication of positive practices.
• National level: Advocate for policies, foster support from stakeholders, and make the process cost-effective

Goals of BCC

• Create a supportive environment for positive behaviour
• Increase awareness and change attitudes towards risk and health issues.
• Increase demand for health information and services.
• Support policy for youth-friendly health services.
• Promote public acceptance and awareness

Challenges of BCC

• Limited training resources and capacities
• Political and physical environments (potentially unstable or hostile)
• Budget limitations (potential mismatch with population or time needed to complete BCC)
• Material focus vs. conducting focused assessments.
• Sustainability concerns
• Ensuring BCC messages are relevant and sensitive to local cultural values, beliefs, and taboos

Conclusion

• BCC can have an impact on generations to come.
• BCC is relatively inexpensive and can often be widely adopted with careful planning.
• BCC should be integrated as necessary strategies with other programs or objectives in health education and promotion.
• BCC should encompass all programs or projects of disease prevention.
• Develop strategic approaches which view BCC not as isolated tactics but as part of an on-going process that supports holistic change.

Characteristics of BCC

• BCC focuses on directly changing behaviour.
• Research based BCC is critical.
• BCC is client centred.
• BCC is benefit and service oriented.
• BCC is professionally developed, linked to behaviour change.

Roles of BCC In Program Implementation

• Increasing awareness of health issues
• Promoting positive attitudes towards behaviour change
• Using community dialogue.
• Advocacy for policy change
• Skills building, self-efficacy programs
• Create demand for needed information and services.
• Promoting services for prevention and care
• Reduce stigma and discrimination

Goals of BCC (SMART goals)

• Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Based