{"id":5744,"date":"2021-10-07T19:02:17","date_gmt":"2021-10-07T19:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmtraining.org\/remote-facilitation-among-fp-rh-professionals\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T12:48:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T12:48:46","slug":"aligning-measures-of-social-and-behavior-change-for-family-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmtraining.org\/fr\/aligning-measures-of-social-and-behavior-change-for-family-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"Aligning Measures of Social and Behavior Change for Family Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Social and behavior change (SBC) can be a powerful and cost-effective tool<\/a> for family planning and reproductive health (FP\/RH) programs. In the case of the Ouagadougou Partnership (OP), SBC could help it achieve the goal of doubling the number of contraceptive users to 13 million by 2030. However, SBC has often been thought of solely for demand creation. Few fully appreciate how diverse approaches to SBC<\/a> and measurement can fit within the broader context of family planning (FP) services and use. Looking, for example, at the FP2020 global partnership core indicators<\/a>, there is a focus on information sharing and joint decision-making as outcomes of SBC approaches. Other key elements\u2014such as social norms and client-provider interactions\u2014that bridge the gap between SBC approaches, service delivery efforts, and behaviors were deprioritized.<\/p>\n

Breakthrough ACTION develops, tests, and scales up new and hybrid approaches to SBC, informed by Breakthrough RESEARCH\u2019s cutting-edge research and evaluation of proven, cost-effective SBC strategies and programs. Together, these USAID-funded sister projects are harnessing SBC evidence and practice to increase priority health behaviors for improved health and development outcomes. In December 2020, Breakthrough ACTION and Breakthrough RESEARCH co-presented their FP SBC work at the ninth annual Ouagadougou Partnership annual meeting<\/a>, under the theme of \u201cInsights into Quantitative and Qualitative Data.\u201d The projects described the value of measuring SBC-relevant indicators in FP programming and showed how they can be integrated across the continuum of FP service delivery.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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Measuring Family Planning Social and Behavior Change<\/h3>\n

The Shared Agenda for SBC in the Ouagadougou Partnership region<\/a> was developed to support coordination among governments, funders, and implementers seeking to advance FP in the OP countries through SBC interventions. It is reflected in several key goals of the emerging Ouagadougou Partnership strategy<\/a>, such as increasing FP access for youth and addressing social norms. However, until SBC-relevant indicators are regularly and systematically measured, it will be difficult to demonstrate the full power and range of SBC approaches. The effectiveness of these approaches must be documented to maintain support for fully integrating SBC approaches into FP\/RH work in the region. Breakthrough ACTION and Breakthrough RESEARCH\u2019s joint presentation at the Ouagadougou Partnership Annual Meeting encouraged participants to think more widely about how SBC approaches could help their own SBC initiatives achieve their goals.<\/p>\n

Breakthrough RESEARCH presented the results of an \u201cindicator-mapping\u201d exercise to demonstrate gaps in FP\/RH-related SBC measurement in four Ouagadougou Partnership countries\u2014Burkina Faso, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, Niger, and Togo. Out of over 1,500 indicators<\/a> collected through the indicator-mapping activity, Breakthrough RESEARCH found that approximately 800 measured SBC-related factors. Of these, few focused on social norms, attitudes<\/a>, or self-efficacy (all important ideational factors) or on provider behaviors (important influences on the client-provider interaction). Rather, the majority of the indicators measured output-level indicators (e.g., the number of condoms distributed or the number of activities conducted).<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>[rs_blockquote class=”blockquote-hide-citation”]Given the focus of social norms in the emerging Beyond 2020 Ouagadougou Partnership strategy, more attention should be invested in measuring and monitoring ideational factors, especially at the community level.[\/rs_blockquote]
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The Social and Behavior Change Circle of Care<\/h3>\n

To help conceptualize the various SBC programmatic options, Breakthrough ACTION developed the Circle of Care Model<\/a>. Countries and implementing partners can use the tool to propose SBC activities along the service delivery continuum. The Circle of Care Model provides a framework that helps leverage the full power of SBC across the stages of service delivery and can support increased FP\/RH use.<\/p>\n

The Circle of Care Model guides programs to align service delivery and SBC to improve health outcomes. The model comprises three stages:<\/p>\n