Social and behavior change

FHI 360 applies a social and behavior change (SBC) lens in collaboration with individuals, households, communities and institutions to understand and address the complex interplay of individual, social and structural determinants that drive poor health and development outcomes. We believe that social change and behavior change are at the heart of our global work and are vital to the achievement of FHI 360’s health and development goals.

We select interactive, participatory strategies to ensure a comprehensive approach that addresses people’s desires, needs, barriers and facilitators to change. Our SBC work integrates best practices from disciplines such as behavior change communication, psychology, human-centered design, anthropology, behavioral economics, social marketing and other behavioral sciences.

UTILIZING PROVEN PRACTICES

Theory-based socio-ecological model
We apply FHI 360’s ADDED (Audience-driven Demand, Design and Delivery) Framework, based on the Socio-ecological Model for Change, to address a range of individual, social and structural determinants of social and behavior change across health and development sectors. The ADDED Framework represents FHI 360’s behavior-centered approach to SBC as well as our emphasis on supporting positive social change. It also ensures the use of participatory and human-centered methodologies with audiences and communities, from the design of SBC strategies through their delivery and evaluation.

FHI 360’s ADDED Framework

Innovative, interactive SBC research and human-centered design
Our staff includes experts in social and behavioral research, participatory research approaches and human-centered design, who work in partnership with regional- and country-level researchers and practitioners to ensure our programs are locally driven, evidence-based and tailored to the context.
Co-design and co-delivery
Through our ADDED approach, FHI 360 seeks to prioritize what people and communities want — or desire — and to co-design and co-deliver activities with them to address a range of complex SBC needs. In doing so, we increase demand for essential products and services, move audiences from intention to action, support sustained change and facilitate social action for social change and behavior change.
Flexible and innovative
Our programs use FHI 360’s SBC Adaptive Management Framework to ensure that data and feedback are routinely collected and applied systematically across the project life cycle to strengthen program quality and demonstrate impact.
Systems-focused
Our approach to SBC capacity strengthening and institutional strengthening applies a systems lens, working with actors throughout the SBC system to strengthen individual-, organizational- and systems-level capacities and structures in sustainable and meaningful ways.

EXAMPLES OF SBC SOLUTIONS

USAID Healthy Behaviors Activity (Ethiopia)
USAID Accelerating Social and Behavior Change (Ghana)
USAID Tulonge Afya (Tanzania)
Health Communication for Life (Malawi)
Communication for Healthy Communities (CHC) (Uganda)
Communicate for Health (C4H) (Ghana)
Alive & Thrive (A&T) (Global)
Improving Healthy Behavior Project (IHPB) (India)
Communication for Change (C-Change) (Global)

EXPERTISE

More than 150 staff members at FHI 360 provide SBC solutions in the United States and around the world across the sectors of health, gender equity and social inclusion, education, environment and conservation, democracy and governance, and nutrition and food security.

Our health expertise spans sexual and reproductive health; maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health; nutrition; HIV prevention, care and treatment; malaria; tuberculosis; emerging infectious diseases; and water, sanitation and hygiene.

For more information, please see our brochure or contact us at [email protected].

Lead photo credit: Jessica Scranton/FHI 360

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