Training public health staff on behavioural and cultural insights

Applying behavioural and cultural insights (BCI) to health is relatively new in many places. Many public health authorities have asked WHO/Europe to support them to build knowledge and skills among their staff.

Under the headline of LEARN BCI, WHO/Europe offers:

• online training modules with self-paced multimedia training and online group discussions;
• annual face-to-face LEARN BCI school offering a variety of plenary presentations, facilitated discussions and case-based practice sessions;
• in-country face-to-face trainings to collaborate on BCI implementation projects; and
• in-country support to establish a BCI Unit or increase capacity on BCI for health within public health authorities.

LEARN BCI was developed on the basis of adult learning theory. We use a combination of case examples, group work, plenary presentations, expert videos, animated explainer videos, and discussion. The training draws on different disciplines, including behavioural science and economics, anthropology, sociology and cultural studies. It aims to introduce basic BCI-related research and evaluation methods and theoretical frameworks. Together these can help public health authorities to understand and address the barriers and drivers of health behaviours.