Making ‘what works’ work: Changing behaviour in sanitation and hygiene

Lessons from behaviour change approaches in other sectors

Yolande Coombes

Senior Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist, WSP

Wednesday 20 July 2011Session jointly convened by LSHTM/SHARE, WSSCC, UNICEF and WSP

• Susceptibility – probability you can get it• Severity – magnitude of the event• Barriers and benefits to change – enabling and disabling

factors• Social norms – what most people think and do about this• Behavioural intention – what you intend to do about it• Response efficacy – effectiveness of the suggested

intervention in preventing or dealing with the event• Self-efficacy – an individual’s perception of their ability to

perform the desirable response• Habit - an acquired behaviour pattern regularly followed

until it has become almost involuntary

Key predictors of behaviour change

Pre-requisites of Change

• Change must be self-initiated

• Behaviour must become important over a period of time

• Behaviour is not part of a person’s coping strategies

• Individual’s life should not be problematic or uncertain

• Social support is available

• Individual has skills to change

Road Safety

Road Safety

Road Safety

Other key behavioural predictors:

• Person must have formed a strong positive intention to perform behaviour

• No environmental constraints

• Person perceives more social (normative) pressure to perform behaviour

• Behaviour is consistent with person’s self image

• Emotional reaction to performing behaviour is more positive than negative

• Can perform the behaviour under a variety of different circumstances

(Tear? Very often, it’s a problem of misuse.

Really protects, really free!)

Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

(Life insurance for 50 cents)

Reproductive Health

To educate a girl is educating an entire nation Stop the Excision

FGM

FGM

Current Global BCC Trends

• Increased attention to communication theory.

• Focus on IPC for reaching rural populations through networks of community health workers.

• New media, including phones, wireless enabled phones, social networking and internet access through handheld devices.

• Reality media using a variety of channels, including not only traditional radio programming, but also diaries, reality shows, vlogs.

Contact details and resources

• ycoombes@worldbank.org

• www.wsp.org/wsp/