Ghana Sustainable Change Project

2005 Producer/Author: Academy for Educational Development

Summary

Implemented by USAID, the Ghana Sustainable Change Project aimed to improve the health of Ghanaians through the use of communication and social marketing initiatives over the course of five years. The project developed and implemented BCC activities in malaria as well as in other high priority public health sectors, with an emphasis on interpersonal communication at the district level and below. Working in 37 districts, located in seven of the 10 regions of the country, AED developed behavior change strategies, provided social marketing support, and strengthened the capacity and abilit of government officials and policymakers. The Ghana Sustainable Change Project composed a series of posters and brochures focused on the prevention and treatment of malaria. Targeting mothers, fathers, and communities, these communication materials encourage the use of insecticide treated bed nets, provide information on Artesunate-Amodiaquine as the drug of choice to treat malaria, and promote couples (primarily females) to seek intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) during pregnancy.

Research & Testing

The main indicator of interest in this survey was the exclusive breastfeeding rate and breastfeeding behavior. The survey also collected information about the use of insecticide treated bed nets, the prevalence and treatment of fever and diarrhea, and asked women about their recall of messages on all of these topics and also family planning, HIV and AIDS. This report offers a number of recommendations for next steps with regard to communications programs development and program focus.

Associated FilesSize
975.25 KB

Monitoring & Evaluation

The end-of-project endline assessment was conducted in February 2009. The methodology of the endline survey followed that of the baseline (i.e., crosssectional, two-stage sample, household cluster survey with replacement) although the survey instrument contained questions on two new content areas: family planning and reach and recall of communications campaigns implemented by the project (e.g., ‘Are you a Real Man’, ‘The Best Protection a Mother Can Give’, ‘Let’s Come Together to Drive Malaria Away’ and ‘Stay Professional’). Innovative Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) technology was employed to collect and transfer data electronically with minimal data entry error. The study sample consisted of USAID priority districts in seven southern regions of Ghana. A total of 2,880 mothers of children under five years of age responded to the survey.

Associated FilesSize
636.52 KB

Add new comment

Log in or register to post comments