WHO/Europe has launched a new guide, providing support to countries on how to apply behavioural and cultural insights (BCI) for health. It presents a simple step-wise approach, complemented by a rich collection of detailed considerations, tools and exercises. The guide is the first of its kind, specifically developed for use by public health professionals developing policies, services and communications informed by BCI across health topics.
Some of the most persistent public health challenges involve human behaviour. Using a BCI lens means that health policies, services and communications can be tailored to the needs and circumstances of people and communities, and thereby help combat these challenges. The new Tailoring Health Programmes (THP) guide describes how this can be done.
Building on several topic-specific guides that focused on applying BCI to routine and influenza vaccination and tackling antimicrobial resistance, as well as external evaluations and a rigorous peer-review process, this guide is the result of over a decade of work by WHO/Europe. The THP approach has already been adopted in over 20 countries and has received positive feedback from public health agencies.
“This guide is the culmination of a decade of work involving many colleagues at country, regional and global levels. The guide is our “BCI bible”, guiding our work with and in countries to help tackle persistent health challenges,” said Katrine Bach Habersaat, Regional Advisor for BCI at WHO/Europe.
Karina Godoy, Senior Analyst and National Focal Point for Behavioural Insights at the Public Health Agency of Sweden, who is employing the approach described in the guide across several health projects, comments: “The THP guide is easy to use and at the same time provides detailed guidance and inspiration where needed. We have decided to translate the document into Swedish and use the approach widely”.
User-friendly yet detailed
Applying a BCI lens allows users to draw on evidence and methods from the behavioural and social sciences and the health humanities, and thereby help to combat health challenges that involve human behaviour. The new THP guide takes its users through 4 simple phases – with steps to explore individual, structural and sociocultural barriers to health behaviours; to engage stakeholders; and to develop and evaluate evidence-informed health policies, services and communication.
The new THP guide offers detailed inspiration at every step of the process. For example, what to include in a budget or project plan, the contents of a situation analysis or a research protocol, and considerations on sustainability, ethics and equity.
The guide also offers a set of exercises that can be used by a working group or in a stakeholder workshop. These exercises help to prioritize, to move from one step to another and to translate research findings into an evidence-informed intervention.
The THP approach can be used by public health units and experts who would like to apply BCI for any health behaviour in any population group. The process can be led by a core group; however, stakeholder engagement is a critical element in all phases of the approach.
Training and capacity-building
To help Member States use the THP approach, the BCI unit at WHO/Europe is offering a variety of training opportunities for public health authorities in the Region, including online modules and subregional and in-country face-to-face trainings.
WHO regional meeting on BCI in September
BCI is a flagship area for WHO/Europe, which aims to help improve our understanding of the contextual and individual factors that affect health behaviours. On 12–14 September 2023, WHO/Europe will convene its first-ever regional meeting on BCI for health at UN City in Copenhagen. The meeting will serve to advance the implementation of WHO/Europe’s pioneering resolution on BCI, which was adopted by all 53 Member States in September 2022. It will also provide an opportunity for BCI stakeholders in ministries of health and public health institutes across the European Region to exchange case examples, discuss barriers and drivers for a range of health challenges, and explore progress in integrating BCI for health into health systems.
More BCI resources can be found online at the BCI Hub (see link below).