What Works to Address Violence Against Children (VAC) in and Around Schools.

Violence against children (VAC) is a pervasive, global issue with both short- and long-term health, social, and economic consequences. This systematic review sought to identify best practices for designing and implementing social and behavior change communication (SBCC) programs targeting VAC in and around schools. Combinations of key search terms within five domains were entered into four databases: PubMed Central, Google Scholar, Sociological Abstracts, and EBSCOhost. Results were screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Namely, articles had to be published in English, be published after March 2014, focus on VAC in and around schools, focus on children, and use SBCC approaches. The searches produced 892,271 results. Of these, 63,183 were screened and 54 articles were selected. These articles were combined with 16 articles, gathered from a previous systematic review using the same databases and search domains conducted by the same research team, for a total of 70 articles. Articles were quantitatively analyzed using a coding guide in STATA and qualitatively analyzed using Nvivo. Results showed that most programs addressed bullying, were implemented in high-income countries, and included children aged 10 and older. Best practices in program design were using theory, conducting formative research, and involving program beneficiaries. Best practices in implementation were combining whole-school and targeted approaches, including special and hidden populations, involving secondary and tertiary audiences, using nonclassroom settings, using peer leader/mentor and cascade training models, and conducting process monitoring. Implications and avenues for future planning and implementation of SBCC interventions to address VAC in and around schools are discussed.

Measuring the effectiveness of communication programming on menstrual health and hygiene management (MHM) social norms among adolescent girls in India.

This manuscript has two objectives: (1) operationalise and measure the fit of two theory-based measures of social norms and (2) examine the relationship between a social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) initiative, social norms, and menstrual health and hygiene management (MHM) among rural adolescent girls in Uttar Pradesh, India. A population-based, case-comparison design was utilised. Interviews were conducted (n = 2212) using quantitative questionnaires. Social norms were operationalised in two ways: (1) a composite additive measure of self-approval, perception of other girls' approval and perception of other girls' practice of the desired MHM behaviour; (2) based on social restrictions. The composite measure had a better model fit, suggesting that social norms should be examined as a multi-dimensional construct with a two-way relationship between personal beliefs and injunctive and descriptive norms. Bivariate and multivariate analysis assessed the relationship between the SBCC intervention, social norms, and adequate MHM. Adolescent girls in the intervention group had more positive social norms (43.99% versus 21.11%) and those reporting positive social norms had 1.66 (95% CI: 1.33-2.09) times greater odds of being in the 'high' MHM practice group, indicating that SBCC interventions promoting positive social norms can impact practice of MHM.

How does a Social and Behavioral Change Communication Intervention Predict Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Interventions in India to improve menstrual health and hygiene management (MHHM) have been implemented at the national, state, district and school level. However, evaluations of these interventions have been scarce. The objective of the study was to determine if a social and behavioral change communication (SBCC) intervention (GARIMA) had a relationship with knowledge, attitudes, interpersonal communication, restrictions and MHHM using a comparison group post-test only design among 2206 adolescent girls. METHODS: Intervention villages and adolescent girls were selected through stratified random sampling based on where GARIMA was implemented. Villages and adolescent girls in comparison villages were matched socio-demographically to intervention villages and adolescent girls. Multi-level logistic regressions assessed the relationship between the encoded exposure, mediators and MHHM. RESULTS: The results showed that the encoded exposure predicted all behaviors corresponding to MHHM. Additionally, adolescent girls in the high encoded exposure group had significantly higher knowledge about puberty and reproductive parts (AOR: 2.03 (95% CI: 1.31 - 3.15)), positive attitudes towards gender (AOR: 1.48 (95% CI: 1.02 - 2.16)) and higher levels of some discussion and dialogue (AOR: 1.41 (95% CI: 1.04 - 1.92)). CONCLUSIONS: Future programs should use SBCC to improve MHHM behavior but involve families, peers and community members to a greater extent in order to improve attitudes towards menstruation, attitudes towards restrictions, attitudes towards absorbent use and reduce restrictions within the community.