The findings suggest that explicit messages around proper storage could extend the lifespan of nets and increase protection against malaria.
This post was updated on March 8, 2022 with a new deadline for submissions. After long delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, proposals and abstracts are now being accepted for the 2022 International Social and Behavior Change Communication Summit, scheduled for December 5 to 9
In its evaluation study, Breakthrough ACTION found that exposure to the many layers of the campaign led to shifts in mindsets about sleeping under a mosquito net as a social norm, as well as changes in malaria-prevention behaviors.
While worst-case scenarios haven’t come true, COVID has distracted African health officials who focus on endemic problems, such as malaria.
Ugandans between the ages of 18 and 29 say their access to services such as family planning and maternal and child health has been limited by the pandemic, according to a CCP survey.
Social and behavior change experts are already strategizing about how to communicate the vaccine’s benefits caregivers and health workers.
When they couldn’t wait any longer, CCP researchers set out to conduct its Malaria Behavior Survey in the Democratic Republic of Congo — with many COVID-19 precautions.
“What we found is that consumers are clearly looking for and purchasing mosquito control products that are easy to use, can be used indoors and outdoors and provide protection outside of sleeping hours,” says CCP’s Danielle Piccinini Black.
CCP’s Malaria Behavior Surveys capture information gaps around the factors that influence the use of malaria prevention and treatments — and help governments create programs to fill them in. Three have been completed and a half-dozen more are in the pipeline.
CCP and Zambian health officials successfully engaged traditional leaders and worked with local radio stations to promote malaria-prevention behaviors, including indoor spraying for mosquitoes.
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