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Introduction to Behaviour ChangeIn Zimbabwe there is widespread awareness of HIV and AIDS. People know it exists. But still many people have not changed their behaviour to protect themselves from HIV. Too many people are still practising unsafe behaviour. Also, stigma towards the infected and affected helps the epidemic continue. For those fighting HIV, this trend can be very frustrating. So, if education isn’t enough to encourage widespread behaviour change, how can we successfully convince people to practise healthier behaviour? This toolkit provides some answers – actual tools – for moving beyond awareness and changing behaviour. Before you start using the tools, read on to learn more about how behaviour change happens and how you can prepare others to lead healthier lives. The information below provides an overview of how we can facilitate behaviour change by asking three central questions:
Additional resources are also provided for further information. Who is your audience?The first step in changing behaviour is learning as much as you can about the people you are trying to change. Some questions to consider are:
Learning the basic facts about your audience will help you decide what tools and methods will and will not work. Choose age and gender appropriate tools, and make sure you are sensitive to their experience and knowledge level. What stage of behaviour change is your audience at?Instead of making sweeping changes, most people go through gradual stages as they change their behaviour. There are five primary stages a person goes through:
Some people move smoothly through the stages of change. Others make it halfway and then relapse. A few go through the steps out of order. However, it is important to try to identify what stage your target audience is at. Knowing your audience's stage will help you decide what type of intervention will help them continue to change. A person in Stage 1 may need information about why they should consider changing their behaviour, while a Stage 3 person might need support for putting their plan into action. Stage 5 requires positive reinforcement as new habits start to take hold and healthier behaviour becomes a way of life. What life factors influence the behaviour of your audience?People are motivated to move from stage to stage by personal, social and environmental factors. Personal factors include a person's belief about their ability to change or beliefs about the behaviour. Social factors might be their friends' attitudes. Both factors may influence the desire to change. Sometimes environmental factors, such as limited access to HIV testing or a poor economy can make behaviour change difficult. In these cases, simply educating people about HIV/AIDS will not be enough to get them change! When you have identified what factors keep your audience from changing their behaviour, make a plan to change those factors The tools in this toolkit can help you change many of the factors you find are holding your audience back from changing their HIV/AIDS related behaviour. Some of the tools are designed to help change individual or community beliefs and attitudes, while others are designed to change workplace policies. You may find that one tool fits your needs perfectly, or you may need to combine tools and add your own ideas. Some things that have been shown to help change behaviour include:
In summary, to change behaviour you should first learn about your audience. Then design an intervention that helps change the personal, social and environmental factors which keep your audience from changing. Look through the tools included on this toolkit, and use your own creativity to design the best possible intervention for your audience! Additional Resources on Behaviour ChangeClick on the links below to learn more about behaviour change. Some of these resources are documents you can read immediately, and others are web addresses that require access to the internet. Documents
Websites
*Software capable of displaying a PDF is required for viewing or printing this document. We have included a copy of Adobe Reader on this CD (in software folder) or you may download it from the Adobe website at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. |
