Social and Behavior Change Inclusive of Behavioral Science

When I joined FHI 360 this past summer as a Behavioral Science Technical Advisor, I was given a clear mandate: figure out how my experience in behavioral economics theory and experimentation could enhance established social and behavior change (#SBC) design and implementation processes. Over the last several months, I’ve been doing just that - working with SBC colleagues, implementing across diverse topics and geographies to leverage my skills to enhance their program efforts. A few projects are shared below:

Increasing adherence to ARV treatment among Children Living with HIV (CLHIV) in Mozambique. USAID’s Facilitating Impact that Lasts for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (USAID FILOVC-AMASI)?activity has done amazing work reaching and enrolling into treatment individuals living with HIV. However, a small portion of children living with HIV (CLHIV) is still not achieving viral load suppression. Our team identified disruptions in caregivers’ daily routines, such as travel and long work hours, as issues increasing the likelihood of children missing doses of ARVs. We’re now testing an intervention based on implementation intentions (and a practical pill organizer) with caregivers to see how the project can mitigate this problem to ensure CLHIV never miss a dose of their ARVs and achieve viral load suppression.

Delay the age of first pregnancy in girls and young women (AGYW) in Ghana. The USAID-funded Accelerating Social and Behavior Change (ASBC) Activity works alongside government entities and implementing partners to reduce child marriage. Formative research has shown that both parents and community leaders play influential roles in the lives of youth, yet community leaders often reinforce stigma around adolescent behaviors rather than acting as supportive guides. While many opportunities have emerged, the team is focusing on leveraging loss aversion to inform key messages in the sermon guide to address the harmful effects of child marriage. The team is planning to evaluate the impact of these messages delivered by religious leaders on child marriage.

Increase family savings and planning for pregnancy and emergency-related needs in Ethiopia. The USAID-funded Healthy Behaviors Activity is implementing SBC interventions to increase completion of antenatal care (ANC) visits and delivery in a facility among pregnant women. Our team’s research found that one important barrier to completing ANC visits and delivery in a facility is the cost of transportation. To address this barrier, I am collaborating with the team to experiment with a savings planning tool that fosters intra-couple dialogue to support families in planning and saving for transportation costs linked to their pregnancy and healthcare needs. If successful, this tool can become a new evidence-based element in our programming and be scaled in other locations!

I’m excited to see how our behavioral science work progresses in these three countries and throughout FHI 360’s portfolio of SBC programs.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

In collaboration with:

Mozambique: Belmiro Sousa Miguel Chibete Rosália Vilanculos Hayley Bryant AMASI - Associa??o de Educadores dos Consumidores de água

Ghana: Rose Wilder Joshua K. Ofori Eunice Sefa

Ethiopia: Jamie Greenberg Kara Tureski Emily Bockh Tenaw Zewdie Hirut Jifara Desta Kebede Henock Gezahegn

SBC: Kara Tureski Brian Pedersen

Research: Wael Moussa Rachel Hatch

Strategic Growth: Amy Weissman