Ghana Behavior Change Support Baseline Survey 2010
The 2008 Ghana Demographic Health Survey (GDHS) continues to reveal tremendous progress in the health status of Ghanaians, including high ANC attendance, increased ITN use and improved practice of exclusive breastfeeding.
On the other hand, the overall health status of Ghanaians is poor and an on-going area of concern. Several trends emerged from the 2008 GDHS and Ghana Maternal Health Survey (GMHS) 2007, which disclosed stagnation among many indicators, including infant and under five mortality and anemia. Although Ghana is often seen as a model in Africa, a number of indicators have worsened, such as contraceptive use and maternal mortality, leaving Ghana vulnerable to major health risks.
JHU•CCP conducted program-related research using a panel design to ascertain baseline levels of behaviors as well as behavior change predictors and exposures and assess how both behavior and these predictors/exposures change during the life of the BCS project. An Endpoint Survey will be conducted in the latter half of 2012.
The principal objectives of this longitudinal study are to: (1) provide measures of behavior, knowledge, attitudes and exposure to messages and activities in relation to our topic areas; and (2) as much as possible, attribute changes in behavior, knowledge and attitudes to exposure to BCS social and behavior communication change activities.
