Combination prevention package of interventions for reducing vulnerability to HIV among adolescent girls and young women in Nigeria: An action research
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that interventions co-designed with communities can shift entrenched social norms that heighten adolescent girls’ and young women’s vulnerability to HIV. Parental silence around sexuality, peer silence about safer sex, and stigma associated with condom access were actively challenged through tailored, participatory activities. Interventions that enabled parents to discuss […]
Using behavior change communication to lead a comprehensive family planning program: the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) explicitly integrates social norms into its behavior change communication strategy, guided by the theory of ideation. The project focuses on transforming beliefs, attitudes, and social expectations—particularly around family size, spousal consent, and acceptability of contraceptive use—by using mass media, community mobilization, and interpersonal communication. […]
Gender norms and modern contraceptive use in urban Nigeria: a multilevel longitudinal study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that gender-equitable norms—particularly attitudes supporting shared household decision-making, joint family planning decisions, and family planning self-efficacy—significantly influence women’s adoption and sustained use of modern contraceptives in urban Nigeria. Importantly, neighborhood-level gender norms also matter: living in a community where gender-equitable attitudes are prevalent increases the likelihood of contraceptive […]
“You need to be able to stand up for what is right”: MTV Shuga Naija’s transformative impact on youth attitudes towards sexual violence in Nigeria
Key Social Norms Take-aways: MTV Shuga Naija significantly shifted harmful gender and sexual violence-related social norms among Nigerian youth by reducing victim-blaming attitudes and increasing awareness of sexual harassment and violence. The intervention illustrates how entertainment-education, when grounded in theory and embedded in relatable narratives, can disrupt entrenched norms, catalyze attitudinal change, and foster critical […]
Masculinities, Faith, and Peace in Nigeria
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The Masculinities, Faith, and Peace (MFP) project in Nigeria highlights how faith-based, community-led dialogue can shift entrenched social norms around gender roles, family planning, and intimate partner violence. By reframing religious narratives through an inclusive and interfaith lens, MFP successfully challenged norms that equated masculinity with virility and sanctioned violence against […]
Masculinities, Faith and Peace Project Baseline Report: Quantitative Data Analysis Report.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The Masculinities, Faith, and Peace (MFP) baseline study highlights key gaps between personal attitudes and perceived social norms related to family planning (FP), gender roles, and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Plateau State, Nigeria. Individuals often hold more progressive views than they believe others in their community do, suggesting misperceptions that […]
Changing Social Norms: the Importance of “Organized Diffusion” for Scaling Up Community Health Promotion and Women Empowerment Interventions.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This article highlights the importance of “organized diffusion”—the process by which intervention participants intentionally share what they have learned with others in their networks—as a cost-effective strategy for promoting social norms change. Organized diffusion can amplify the reach and sustainability of community-based interventions by transforming both personal attitudes and collective norms, […]
Understanding family planning outcomes in northwestern Nigeria: analysis and modeling of social and behavior change factors
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms supporting high fertility, male-dominated decision-making, and contraceptive myths strongly shape family planning behaviors in this setting. Interventions must go beyond individual-level change to also address relational dynamics, especially fostering joint decision-making and male engagement, and create enabling environments that support women’s autonomy and challenge entrenched gender roles. Objectives: This […]
Qualitative research on Breakthrough ACTION’s Advocacy Core Group Model for integrated social behavior change programming in Nigeria
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Adolescent childbearing in northern Nigeria is shaped by social norms around early marriage, gender roles, and family honor. These norms position marriage and motherhood as expected milestones for girls, often reinforced by community and family members. Premarital pregnancy is highly stigmatized, especially for girls, while boys face fewer consequences. Changing these […]
Women’s Work, Gender Roles, and Intimate Partner Violence in Nigeria.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study illustrates how prevailing gender norms—particularly male approval of wife beating and male dominance in household decision-making—shape the relationship between women’s economic participation and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Nigeria. Women’s employment, especially in contexts where traditional gender norms are strongly upheld, may increase their risk of IPV, suggesting that […]