Stepping Stones and Creating Futures intervention: shortened interrupted time series evaluation of a behavioural and structural health promotion and violence prevention intervention for young people in informal settlements in Durban, South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study highlights that integrating economic empowerment with gender-transformative interventions can effectively shift social norms among young people in informal settlements. Notably, it found that material improvements in young women’s lives—such as increased income and reduced financial dependence—enabled them to better apply knowledge from gender-transformative programming, leading to reduced experience of […]
RCT evaluation of Skhokho: A holistic school intervention to prevent gender-based violence among South African Grade 8s
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that school- and family-based interventions can contribute to the prevention of intimate partner violence among adolescents by addressing the broader social norms that underpin gender inequality and the normalization of violence. Findings suggest that improving communication, promoting gender-equitable attitudes, and challenging the acceptance of corporal punishment and other […]
Findings from the SASA! Study: a cluster randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of a community mobilization intervention to prevent violence against women and reduce HIV risk in Kampala, Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The SASA! study demonstrates that community mobilization can meaningfully shift social norms related to intimate partner violence and gender equality, leading to reductions in both the social acceptance and actual experience of violence against women, and influencing HIV risk behaviors. It highlights the importance of engaging entire communities in dialogue about […]
Empowering youth for social change through the Shujaaz multimedia platform in Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The Shujaaz multimedia platform illustrates how digital and analogue media can be effectively combined to shift social norms around contraception, financial independence, and youth empowerment in Kenya. The platform helps normalize family planning as a responsible and aspirational behavior, using relatable stories and youth-centered narratives to challenge stigma, foster open conversations, […]
Effectiveness of a multilevel intervention to reduce violence and increase condom use in intimate partnerships among female sex workers: cluster randomised controlled trial in Karnataka, India
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The Samvedana Plus reduced the acceptance of intimate partner violence, increased awareness of self-protection strategies, and fostered solidarity among sex workers. These findings highlight the importance of addressing deeply embedded norms that normalize violence in intimate relationships but also emphasize that changing norms may require broader structural and community-level engagement beyond […]
COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT FOR HEALTH (CSH) PROGRAMME SAFE LOVE OUTCOME EVALUATION REPORT
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The Safe Love campaign provides strong evidence that mass media behavior change communication (BCC) can influence social norms related to HIV prevention, particularly around condom use, HIV testing, and perceptions of sexual behavior. Notably, the campaign shifted perceptions about community approval of condom use with casual partners and the belief that […]
The Saleema initiative in Sudan to abandon female genital mutilation: Outcomes and dose response effects
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The Saleema Initiative in Sudan demonstrates the power of branding and social marketing to shift entrenched social norms supporting female genital mutilation. By promoting a new social identity around uncut girls and fostering public discourse, Saleema reduced the perception that cutting is a common or socially accepted practice. The initiative’s success […]
Congregation leader and member discussions in a church-based family strengthening, mental health promotion and HIV prevention trial: Intervention
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates how faith-based interventions influence social norms in congregational settings through increasing discussions around stigmatized or sensitive topics such as sexual health and condom use. The intervention helped normalize these conversations among both leaders and members, revealing that religious settings, when engaged thoughtfully, can become important spaces for addressing […]
Evaluation of the Responsible, Engaged, and Loving (REAL) Fathers Initiative on Physical Child Punishment and Intimate Partner Violence in Northern Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The REAL Fathers Initiative demonstrates that targeting social norms around masculinity, fatherhood, and discipline through mentoring can significantly reduce intimate partner violence and physical child punishment. The intervention worked by addressing norms that justify violence in parenting and relationships, encouraging reflection on gender roles and expanding the perceived responsibilities of fathers. […]
Effects of economic support, comprehensive sexuality education, and community dialogue on sexual behaviour: Findings from a cluster-RCT among adolescent girls in rural Zambia
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study illustrates that combining economic support with community dialogue and comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) can influence adolescent girls’ sexual behavior and perceptions of reproductive health, although not all effects align with intended outcomes. Notably, while these interventions improved knowledge and contraceptive use, they also paradoxically reduced perceived community support for […]