Behavior change (public health)

Behavior change (public health)

Behavior change has become a central objective of public health interventions over the last half decade, as the influence of prevention within the health services has increased. The increased influence of prevention has coincided with increased multi-lateral and bi-lateral aid in the area of human development, and the increased need for the international development community to show cost-effectiveness for allocated dollars spent.

Behavior change programs, which have evolved over time, encompass a broad range of activities and approaches, which focus on the individual, community, and environmental influences on behavior. The term Behavior Change Communication (BCC) specifically refers to community health seeking behavior, and was first employed in HIV and TB prevention projects. More recently, its ambit has grown to encompass any communication activity whose goal is to help individuals and communities select and practice behavior that will positively impact their health, such as immunization, cervical cancer check up, employing single-use syringes, and so on.

Behavior change, a relatively recent public health related term, should not be confused with behavior modification, a term with specific meaning in a clinical psychiatry setting.

Behavior change programs tend to focus on a few theories which gained ground in 1980s. These theories share a major commonality in defining indiviudal actions as the locus of change. Behavior change programs usually focus on activities that help a person or a community to reflect upon their risk behaviors and change them to reduce their risk and vulnerability are known as interventions. See also 'The Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change', 'The Theory of Reasoned Action', 'The Health Belief Model', 'The Stages of Change Model'.

It is one of the characteristics of Behavior Change Communication, or BCC that its practitioners keep coining new terms to describe their approach — recent ones include Strategic Behavioral Communication (SBC); Information, Education, Communication (IEC); and [http://www.communicationforsocialchange.org/ Communication for Social Change (CSC)] . True, some of these terms are more about behavior and change than others, but all do share the belief that through communication of some kind, individuals and communities can somehow be persuaded to behave in ways that will make their lives safer and healthier.

The shifting terminology, a characteristic of this field, is a pointer to the fact that BCC is an evolving area, rather than a coherent topic. It is neither a discipline, nor a science or an art. It encompasses conflicting approaches, too little measurement of impact, a variety of theories, and approaches that some feel are too mechanistic. Theories emerging from the West reflect change ideologies rooted in rational choice, individual transformations, and the role of reason and knowledge. BCC practices emerging in developing countries illustrate the role of the community, social acceptance, emotion, and emulation in personal change.

Villagers in a Kenyan community, for example, offered this theory of behavior when asked: the experiences a person undergoes trigger emotions, positive or negative. These shape attitudes, which lead to behavioral choices. One person’s behavior becomes another person’s experience, and the cycle begins again.

This simple, home-grown theory has much wisdom. It suggests that if a person’s experience is the key to his or her behavior, then one way to stimulate new behavior might be to expand this pool of experience. NGOs in Kenya, such as [http://www.path.org PATH] , have designed ways to bring about experience-sharing through deep dialogue in groups and theater processes. In India, participatory community-driven theater among sex workers led to passionate and heartfelt dialogue. In many cases, the critical reflection triggered by these discourses has led participants to self-driven behavior changes.

One school of thought argues that BCC that focuses on “target” audiences and fixed, externally determined behavioral outcomes can violate the very principles that underlie work in the community: dignity, participation, and choice. Focusing on community involvement can lead to deep and durable changes. If BCC practitioners can support communities in understanding their risks, and helping them design behavior change solutions that will work for them, perhaps we will begin to understand where the true transformational power of BCC lies.

External links

* [http://www.jhuccp.org Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs] specializes in health-related BCC programs, primarily in developing countries. It includes programs in reproductive health and family planning, tuberculosis, malaria, clean water and sanitation, and HIV/AIDS.
* [http://www.psp-one.com Private Sector Partnerships] USAID project focused on increasing the private sector's role in providing high-quality health products and services in developing countries.
*Sara Del Valle: [http://math.lanl.gov/~mac/papers/bio/VHHC05.pdf Effects of Behavioral Changes in a Smallpox Attack Model] An article demonstrating the impact of behavioral changes on disease spread.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Behavior change — can refer to any transformation or modification of human behavior.It may also refer to: *Behavior change (public health), a broad range of activities and approaches which focus on the individual, community, and environmental influences on… …   Wikipedia

  • Public Health Genomics — is the utilization of genomics information to benefit public health. This is visualized as more effective personalised preventive care and disease treatments with better specificity, targeted to the genetic makeup of each patient. (Bellagio Group …   Wikipedia

  • Behavior Change Communication — BCC: Going beyond simple teaching and instruction …   Wikipedia

  • Public health — Newspaper headlines from around the world about polio vaccine tests (13 April 1955). Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society,… …   Wikipedia

  • HIV/AIDS Public Health Campaigns in Italy — Since the arrival of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Italy in the 1980’s, 120,000 cases of people testing positive for HIV have been registered with the Ministry of Health http://www.ministerosalute.it/hiv/paginaInternaHiv.jsp?id=198… …   Wikipedia

  • Health psychology — is concerned with understanding how biology, behavior, and social context influence health and illness. Health psychologists work alongside other medical professionals in clinical settings, teach at universities, and conduct research. Although… …   Wikipedia

  • Health and intelligence — are two closely related aspects of human well being. The impact of health on intelligence is one of the most important factors in understanding human group differences in IQ test scores and other measures of cognitive ability. Several factors can …   Wikipedia

  • Health (disambiguation) — Health is the level of functional and/or metabolic efficiency of an organism.Health may also refer to:* Health care, the prevention, treatment, and management of illness ** Health care industry, an industry providing health care services **… …   Wikipedia

  • Health care reform debate in the United States — See also: Health care reform in the United States, Health care in the United States, and Uninsured in the United States Health care in the United States Public health care Federal Employees Health Benefits Program Indian Health Service… …   Wikipedia

  • Public order crime — For relevant case law, see Public order crime case law in the United States In criminology public order crime is defined by Siegel (2004) as ...crime which involves acts that interfere with the operations of society and the ability of people to… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”