Diseases and how they can be prevented, diagnosed and treated are sometimes misunderstood by affected communities. This means that people may get sick more often, and might not seek timely or appropriate care. Improving knowledge and understanding of disease alone is not enough to create and sustain healthy behaviours; supportive social environments are also needed.
Recognising this, the community dialogue approach (CDA) was developed using the Integrated Model of Communication for Social Change. Embedding itself within existing community structures (e.g. women’s, religious and youth groups), the approach seeks to foster meaningful engagement between communities and healthcare systems in low resource settings.
This presentation was given at the RBM Social and Behaviour Change Working Group in Lusaka, Zambia in September 2018.
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