Shaping healthier futures for children through social and behavioural change

This report highlights World Vision's social and behaviour change approach to addressing maternal and child malnutrition across South Asia and the Pacific. Through examples from projects in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste, the report illustrates how World Vision's social and behaviour change interventions help communities adopt essential health and nutrition practices.

Effective social and behaviour change interventions focus on applying context-specific solutions that are based on a clear understanding of the perceptions and needs of those who are expected to practise the desired behaviours and their influencers. Recognising that merely increasing knowledge is insufficient, social and behaviour change tackles barriers beyond education, integrating communication with broader support. It combines scientific knowledge with community insights to create relevant interventions and also addresses systemic factors through advocacy and policy, ensuring comprehensive behaviour change.

The ‘Eggciting’ project in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, led by World Vision Indonesia and Sight and Life, successfully promoted daily egg consumption among pregnant and lactating women and children aged under five years. By addressing barriers like misconceptions and limited access, and leveraging enablers such as local farmers and social marketing campaigns, the project significantly increased egg consumption and local egg production, enhancing community nutrition.

The Better Food, Better Health project in Timor-Leste, implemented by World Vision and funded by the Australian Government, aimed to improve nutrition for children aged under five years and their mothers. The project focused on promoting essential nutrition practices, supporting the production of nutrient-rich 'superfoods,' and enhancing health and agricultural services. As a result, there were significant increases in dietary diversity, male involvement in childcare, and access to handwashing facilities, leading to improved health and nutrition outcomes in the community.

The Bangladesh Initiative to Enhance Nutrition Security and Governance, led by World Vision and partners, aimed to improve nutrition for children and mothers in Jamalpur and Sherpur districts. The project promoted essential nutrition, agricultural practices, and gender equality through behaviour change communication, health system strengthening, and economic empowerment. As a result, dietary diversity and food security improved, particularly among women and girls, despite challenges with entrenched social norms.

The success of these projects underscores the importance of effective social and behaviour change approaches that go beyond simply providing information. For caregivers to adopt high-impact practices, such as exclusive breastfeeding or diverse diets, it is crucial to address the broader factors that influence behaviour, including access to resources, the availability of services, and the influence of social norms. Social and behaviour change interventions must therefore consider not only the individual but also the community, societal, structural, and systemic levels.

To maximise the impact of social and behaviour change interventions, decision-makers, such as donors and policymakers, should ensure that these initiatives are based on accurate data and address the key barriers to behaviour change. Implementers should focus on increasing the quality and reach of social and behaviour change activities, prioritise interventions with the potential for widespread impact, and provide detailed reports that offer behavioural insights. By taking a comprehensive and informed approach, social and behaviour change interventions can effectively drive lasting behaviour change and improve health and nutrition outcomes across communities.