Report Provides Lessons on Influencing Youth Behavior

WASHINGTON, DC, Jan. 7, 2004 — The report "Changing Youth Behavior Through Social Marketing," jointly published by PSI and the Population Reference Bureau, reveals that carefully designed and implemented social marketing programs can motivate behavior change among youth.

The report examines the impact of three PSI adolescent reproductive health programs — Cameroon's 100% Jeune, Madagascar's Top Réseau and Rwanda's Centre Dushishoze. Working with the private sector, the programs made reproductive health products and services — otherwise off-limits to unmarried youth — more accessible, affordable and youth-oriented. Complementary interpersonal communication and mass media campaigns motivated young people to visit youth-friendly clinics to treat sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), abstain or use condoms consistently.

Cameroon's 100% Jeune campaign used call-in radio shows, radio dramas and a monthly youth newspaper to reach youth with STI/HIV prevention messages. In Rwanda, because youth had limited access to radio and television, the program used peer education, print materials and mobile video unit presentations to attract youth to Centre Dushishoze where voluntary HIV counseling and testing, STI treatment and other reproductive health services were provided. In addition to radio, print and interpersonal communications, Madagascar's TOP Réseau program produced a television talk show that openly discussed sexual health and encourage youth to visit TOP Reseau youth-friendly clinics.

Surveys conducted before and after 18 months of program activities reflect increased use of condoms, voluntary counseling and testing and family planning services as a direct result of exposure to the PSI programs.

In addition to demonstrating that social marketing can contribute to behavior change, this multi-country program has reinforced the following lessons applicable to youth-focused and other social marketing programs:

• Behavior change is achieved through repeated exposure to multiple, mutually-reinforcing messages and skill-building activities;
• Peer education is practical and effective, but difficult when large portions of the target group do not attend school;
•Though cooperation from adults is important, programs must be designed with youth input in order to be successful;
• Developing and maintaining high-quality reproductive health services requires intensive and recurrent training, supervision and monitoring;
• Correct and consistent condom use as a prevention method for STIs, not just pregnancy, must be reinforced;
• Determinants of behavior change vary by age, gender and other geographic and demographic variables; and
• Behavior change programs require highly specialized skills in research, communication and program design which are not always readily available in developing countries contexts.

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