Behaviour Change
Within each field, governments and development agencies tackle problems with a variety of strategies. Governments can use all kinds of powerful interventions such as international politics or targeted taxation. At the grassroots level, a powerful tool is 'Behaviour Change'.
Some of the specific terms used, particularly in the health field:
- KAP – Knowledge, Attitude, Practice
- IEC – Information, Education and Communication
- BCC – Behaviour Change Communication
Basically, for an individual or community to achieve behaviour change they will need to acquire better information – and different attitudes. Often these have been conditioned from a young age and not easy to change
For example, what knowledge and attitudes are necessary to remain sexually safe? The risks may be known to an individual and still he acts risky. In the end it is only if behaviour change takes place that a process has any success.
Behaviour Change: Library Manuals
The following relevant books are available for download from this site:
How to make a facilitated group effective
A facilitated group is the most powerful way to bring about behaviour change in its members. Such groups tend to be informal and develop their own norms and rules. They can meet for extended periods.
Changing Damaging Behaviour
- Alcoholi and drug abuse
- Domestic Violence
- Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
- Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
Most communities have at least one pattern of behaviour that damages those involved – the individual, the partner or the family unit. Changing such behaviour is not easy, but it is worth attempting if the problem is severe.