Health Communication Partnership (HCP)

Overview

The Health Communication Partnership (HCP), a five-year project funded by USAID, linked five leading institutions to strengthen public health in the developing world through strategic communication programs. The project was led by CCP in partnership with Academy for Educational Development (AED), Save the Children, The International HIV/AIDS Alliance and Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. HCP sought to create an environment that supported individuals, families, and communities to act positively for their own health and to advocate for and gain access to quality services. HCP addressed family planning and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, nutrition, safe water and hygiene, and democracy and governance. The project had global reach, implementing programs and providing technical assistance in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Near East, and Europe/Eurasia.

Accomplishments

• Worked with partners on the development and implementation of over 110 health communication national and sub-national strategies in 15 countries.

• Advanced the field through over 120 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters written, including the first ever issue of a journal (Journal of Health Communication) on the cost effectiveness of health communication. This is one of the most important publications in the past 10 years in the field of BCC.

• Leveraged $16 million of funding in support of social and behavior change interventions through local private and public sector and international agencies.

• Supported programs at scale in over 30 country programs, reaching more than 50% of intended audiences.

Selected country highlights:

• In Egypt, the Communication for Healthy Living project used a life stage approach, focusing on newlyweds and working at multiple levels (mass media, community outreach, and private sector pharmacies. Results included high recall of campaign and behaviors. In intervention villages, 41% of married women had discussed FP with their spouse compared to only 21% in non-intervention villages.

• Radio programs in Nepal were designed to reach the lower caste populations. The percentage of FP users tripled from 17% in June 2004 to 68% in October 2005 in these target groups. Members of radio listening groups were 50% more likely than non-members to have discussed family planning with their spouse and health provider.

• In Bangladesh, HCP and other stakeholders formulated a strategy to sensitize and provide life skills to adolescents with a toolkit, facilitated sessions, TV programs and a curricula for in school students. Sexual activity among unmarried adolescent males declined 38% in the intervention areas and remained unchanged in comparison areas.

• South Africa’s TV drama, Tsha Tsha about a group of South African young people dealing with the pressure of relationships and sexual behavior reached an average of 1.8 – 2.6 million viewers each week. Behavior changes reported as a result of exposure to the program: 13% said they had abstained from sex, 10% said they consistently used a condom, and 9% said they had only one sexual partner.

Publications and Project Materials