Health Communication and Behavioural Change: An Exploratory Study among Marginalized Communities in Rural West Bengal, India

Abstract

A small-scale research/intervention project that aimed to develop and test an integrated package of communication campaign on health awareness among women belonging to the marginalized community was implemented in an underdeveloped setting of West Bengal, India during 2010–11. A quasi-experimental research design, with cross-sectional surveys conducted in six intervention and control villages at the baseline and endline, was used to evaluate the outcome of intervention among 1,196 respondents. This article examines the impact of behaviour change communication intervention on knowledge, reporting of illnesses and treatment-seeking of symptoms of general and gynaecological morbidity. Analyses included multiple, binary logistic and multinomial logistic regressions using a Difference-in-Difference estimator. Results of the evaluation suggest that the net effect of exposure to the intervention had a positive and significant impact on most of the indicators reflecting an increased level of awareness about signs and symptoms of general and reproductive complications. However, the net effect of exposure was mixed for the indicators of reporting of illnesses, pattern and sources of seeking treatment. The experience of implementing the project demonstrates that it is possible to improve women’s general and reproductive health awareness and practices which could have resulted in positive health outcomes in the long run.