Strategies For Social Change Research Articles

Paradox as resistance in male dominated fields and the value of (sur)facing enthymematic narratives

AbstractWomen working in masculine organizational contexts face a challenge of balancing (1) access to power by co‐opting masculine discourse in ways that risk reinforcing it, with (2) challenging and resisting practices that privilege masculinity. In this manuscript, we address one communication strategy for navigating that challenge: The denial/acknowledgment paradox in which women explicitly deny that gender affected their experience, but also describe the many ways it affected their experience. To do so, we examined transcripts of interviews with 11 women candidates who ran in the 2017 Virginia House of Delegates election in the United States and demonstrated this paradoxical communication strategy. Our analysis offers five different structures of the denial/acknowledgment paradox and shows how four of those structures engage what we call an “enthymematic narrative” of victimhood. Ultimately, we argue that (sur)facing the enthymematic narrative amplifies the generative potential of the denial/acknowledgment paradox and suggest that (sur)facing enthymematic narratives should be taken up more broadly as a strategy for organizational and social change.

Utilization of sexual and reproductive health services among young people in refugee settings in Uganda.

There is a considerable high level of unmet need for reproductive health services among refugees. Yet, there is limited research about the provision and utilization of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services among young people in refugee settings. Drawing on a sample of 575 young refugees (15-24 years) from a cross-sectional survey, this study aims to fill this gap by identifying the factors associated with SRH utilization among young people living in refugee settings in Northern Uganda. The utilization of SRH services at the health facilities was significantly different between female and male young people after adjusting for all other variables (aOR = 2.46, 95% CI, 1.58, 3.84). Young people who were not living in a marital union (aOR = 0.38, 95% CI, 0.20, 0.71), or held inequitable gender norms about services (aOR = 0.28, 95% CI, 0.12, 0.66) had about a third of the odds of utilizing SRH services. Young women with comprehensive knowledge about contraception, modern contraceptives, and HIV and STI prevention, had more than twice the odds of utilizing SRH services (aOR = 2.23, 95% CI, 2.67, 6.90). There is need to integrate social norm measurements and social norm change strategies in strategies for promoting utilization of SRH services among refugees in low-income countries especially in Uganda.

Misconceptions About Female Cancers Contributing to Late Presentation to Health Facilities in Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study.

Morbidity and mortality from female cancers is a major public health problem in low- and middle-income countries, including Ethiopia. More than three quarters of women visiting health facilities are diagnosed with late-stage cervical and breast cancer. Evidence reveals that misconception affects timely health seeking behavior which could have averted expensive treatment and poor survival. This study aimed to explore misconceptions about female cancers that may have contributed to late presentation of the problem to health facilities in Sidama region, Ethiopia. A descriptive qualitative study was carried out in June 2021. Nine focus group discussions (six with women and three with men) and 14 key informants were conducted. Data were collected using interview guide until all information get saturated. Data were inductively coded and qualitative content analysis was applied. A total of 63 (24 men and 39 women) people participated in this study. Nearly all (12) key informant interviewees have awareness about cervical and breast cancer, yet reported that their community members clearly lack awareness and they are working to improve misconceptions regarding cervical and breast cancer. The focus group discussion participants (15 men and 36 women) reported lack of detailed information related to cervical and breast cancer. Women believe that cervical and breast cancer mainly resulted from poor hygiene, trauma, having multiple sexual partners, early marriage, breast exposure to heat, not breast feeding, birth complication, urinating in the sun, hereditary, devil's intrusion and God's punishment. There were misconceptions among the community on what cervical and breast cancer mean, how they could happen, what the symptoms are, why and when to screen, when to seek health care and how to use modern treatment options. Therefore, we recommended the design of social and behavioral change strategies to address the misconceptions among different population groups.

Ideational factors associated with consistent use of insecticide-treated nets: a multi-country, multilevel analysis

BackgroundMalaria remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Using insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) every night, year-round is critical to maximize protection against malaria. This study describes sociodemographic, psychosocial, and household factors associated with consistent ITN use in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone.MethodsCross-sectional household surveys employed similar sampling procedures, data collection tools, and methods in three countries. The survey sample was nationally representative in Côte d’Ivoire, representative of the North and Far North regions in Cameroon, and representative of Bo and Port Loko districts in Sierra Leone. Analysis used multilevel logistic regression and sociodemographic, ideational, and household independent variables among households with at least one ITN to identify correlates of consistent ITN use, defined as sleeping under an ITN every night the preceding week.FindingsConsistent ITN use in Côte d’Ivoire was 65.4%, 72.6% in Cameroon, and 77.1% in Sierra Leone. While several sociodemographic and ideational variables were correlated with consistent ITN use, these varied across countries. Multilevel logistic regression results showed perceived self-efficacy to use ITNs and positive attitudes towards ITN use were variables associated with consistent use in all three countries. The perception of ITN use as a community norm was positively linked with consistent use in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire but was not significant in Sierra Leone. Perceived vulnerability to malaria was positively linked with consistent use in Cameroon and Sierra Leone but negatively correlated with the outcome in Côte d’Ivoire. Household net sufficiency was strongly and positively associated with consistent use in all three countries. Finally, the findings revealed strong clustering at the household and enumeration area (EA) levels, suggesting similarities in net use among respondents of the same EA and in the same household.ConclusionsThere are similarities and differences in the variables associated with consistent ITN use across the three countries and several ideational variables are significant. The findings suggest that a social and behaviour change strategy based on the ideation model is relevant for increasing consistent ITN use and can inform specific strategies for each context. Finally, ensuring household net sufficiency is essential.

Determinants of Hardcore Smoking in a MULTI-ETHNIC Study of Cigarette Smokers in Singapore

ABSTRACT Smokers who are resistant to quitting are not well studied in Asia, particularly in multi-ethnic populations. We compared the characteristics of hardcore smokers in Singapore, a multi-ethnic Asian population, with other daily smokers, and investigated the role of ethnicity as an effect modifier on identified determinants, including cigarette flavor preferences, using cross-sectional data from Singapore Smokers’ Survey (n = 1,501). Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association. 22.8% of adult daily smokers were hardcore smokers. Novel findings on hardcore smokers’ preference for regular flavored cigarettes (AOR = 1.54; 95%CI: 1.14, 2.07) suggest there is room for interventions among hardcore smokers through regulation of cigarette flavors and nicotine content. Although ethnicity was not a significant factor, it was an effect modifier with peers’ disapproval of smoking (p-value for interaction = 0.024), significantly lowering odds of Malays being hardcore smokers (stratified odds ratio, AOR stratified, Malay = 0.35; CI: 0.17, 0.71), but not Chinese (AOR stratified, Chinese = 1.27; CI: 0.70, 2.42) and Indian smokers (AOR stratified, Indian = 0.62; CI: 0.18, 2.28), suggesting that smoking cessation policies utilizing social norm change strategies may be more effective when tailored to the differing roles of peer norms among different ethnic groups, in Singapore and other multi-ethnic Asian populations.

Strategies for Degrowth

Mariko Frame reviews The Future is Degrowth: A Guide to the World Beyond Capitalism, by Matthias Schmelzer, Andrea Vetter, and Aaron Vansintjan (Verso, 2022) and its explorations of the policies, vision, and strategies for social change required for the burgeoning movement.

Two Routes to Degeneration, Two Routes to Utopia

It sometimes appears that alternative organizations are doomed to perpetuate the systems they aim to transform, as efforts to avoid co-optation lead these organizations to retreat from the very engagement necessary for social change. Scholars then face a dilemma: reveal these degenerative processes in existing alternative organizations and reinforce disillusionment, or avoid such critique and endorse ineffectual strategies. This paper thus asks how we can engage in necessary critical work without thereby stifling social change efforts. Erik Olin Wright’s real utopias approach is first used to distinguish two broad strategies adopted by alternative organizations – symbiotic and interstitial – associated with distinct degeneration risks. The former set, exposure degeneration, are well-studied by the alternative organizations literature, but the latter, insulation degeneration, have received less systematic attention. Thus, the first contribution of this paper is the classification of these degeneration risks and the specification of their dialogical relationship. In a second step, the paper draws upon the critical realist morphogenetic approach to understand social change strategies and degeneration risks in terms of structurally conditioned agency in cycles of simultaneous structural reproduction and elaboration. Thus understood, structural reproduction through exposure or insulation degeneration does not necessarily preclude structural elaboration. The second contribution of the paper is therefore a framework for engaging alternative organizations with genuine but constructive critique that accounts for the twin risks they face as well as the promise nevertheless inherent in their diverging strategies.

Data Use Aids Adaptation and Continuation of Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) Services in Urban Health Facilities in Bangladesh During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health services worldwide. Alive and Thrive (A&T) is testing MIYCN integration into non-governmental organizations’ (NGOs) health services in eight facilities in Dhaka. We aimed to develop a data-driven urban MIYCN intervention pathway adapted to continue delivering nutrition services during COVID-19. MethodsA&T used its learnings from previous interventions and formative research to design an urban MIYCN intervention with a social and behavior change strategy set to improve nutrition practices. Mixed monitoring data were used to track the intervention elements capacity building, demand creation, service delivery, and supervision; and COVID-19 situation domains lockdown, restrictions, guidelines, staff turnover, contextual and behavior changes, adaptations, and budget implications. COVID-19 studies as well as external value chain, market, and food security reports were used. Monthly monitoring data were used to identify and validate potential adaptations. ResultsIntervention adaptations and adoption of government requirements for nutrition services allowed MIYCN services to continue during the pandemic; recurrent users reached seven or more counseling sessions. The intervention incorporated virtual capacity building; MIYCN counseling, supervision, and demand creation for services via mobile phones; and community mobilization via satellite clinics and referrers. The use of monitoring data allowed documenting the intervention pathway with some original intervention components pre-pandemic, and other components delivered after adapting to restrictions during lockdown and after lockdown was lifted. Adaptations were based on national and global requirements and on social and individual behaviors during the pandemic (e.g., fearful mothers not coming to facilities). ConclusionsData use elucidated how to deliver urban MIYCN services and adapt amidst the ongoing pandemic. NGOs providing government-aligned health services can potentially address the urban gap, and advance nutrition services and improved practices during crisis. Documenting an evidence-based intervention pathway visualizing adaptations will guide the endline study to maximize learnings for the MIYCN community in Bangladesh and globally. Funding SourcesBill & Melinda Gates Foundation through Alive & Thrive FHI Solutions.

“Just Existing Is Activism”: Transgender Experiences in Martial Arts

This study focuses on transgender experiences in martial arts. Interviews with three Finnish and two British transgender martial artists were thematically analyzed, and findings were interpreted through the lens of queer theory. Two themes were identified related to the ways that transgender martial artists experience their sporting contexts, namely martial arts as an empowering and inclusive context and the challenges related to being transgender in martial arts. Two themes were also identified when it comes to participants’ strategies for coping with cis-/heteronormativity in martial arts. Whenever possible, participants employed social change strategies, whereas other times, they drew on self-care strategies. Following this, we suggest a need for context-specific, protective policies; nonbinary means of organizing sport; and gender diversity education for instructors to better cater for the specific needs of transgender people in sport.

ACTIVIST MUSICIANS: A FRAMEWORK FOR LEADERS OF SOCIAL CHANGE

A proposition offered in this manuscript is that activist musicians use their musical competencies to enhance their social change strategies within the local community. However, it is unclear what strategies are being utilized by local activist musicians in order to reach collective action and achieve social and political change. A self-developed framework, the Framework for Activist Musicians (FAM), portrays how an activist musician utilizes their social experiences, behaviors, and influence to enact social change. The framework delineates how a musician utilizes their music-making involvement and status to enhance their charisma and authenticity as an activist to establish social change. Additionally, the framework outlines the unique qualities of a musician and activist which make them well-prepared to be an influential community leader.

The power of women\u2019s and men\u2019s Social Networks to catalyse normative and behavioural change: evaluation of an intervention addressing Unmet need for Family Planning in Benin

BackgroundIn Benin, despite good knowledge and availability, modern contraceptive prevalence remains relatively low, and the unmet need for family planning is relatively high. This is partly due to insufficient attention to socio-normative barriers that influence need and method use. Applying social network theory, Tékponon Jikuagou (TJ) aims to reduce socio-normative barriers preventing modern contraceptive use in rural Benin. After community identification, TJ trains influential network actors who encourage critical dialogue about unmet need, family planning, gender, and other social norms within their networks, complemented by radio and services linkages. This paper evaluates TJ's effectiveness and how intervention components affect intermediate and primary FP outcomes.MethodsWe report findings from pre/post-intervention cross-sectional research with a comparison group conducted at baseline with 1,043 women and 1,030 men, and 14 months later at endline with 1,046 women and 1,045 men. Using sex-stratified models, we assessed balance across intervention and comparison groups on background characteristics using Pearson's chi-square tests of independence; performed bivariate tests of independence to assess differences between baseline to endline on intermediate outcomes and primary FP outcomes; used logistic regression to examine the effect of intervention components on intermediate and primary FP outcomes.ResultsStatistically significant improvements in primary outcomes: women's intentions to use modern contraception, achieve met need, and reduce perceived met need. The fourth primary outcome, actual use, showed substantial gains, although not statistically significant. Men's achievement of met FP need and reduced perceived met need were also statistically significant. Assessing intermediate outcomes at individual, couple, normative-network levels, TJ led to statistically significant increases in couple and network communication on fertility desires and family planning use and self-efficacy and confidence to access services. Both women and men showed significant shifts in the acceptability of discussing FP in public. Results for other indicators of norms change were inconsistent.ConclusionsAn easy-to-implement, short-duration, gender-equitable social network intervention with a limited set of network actors, TJ effectively decreases social and normative barriers preventing women and men from seeking and using FP services. Results support the broader use of innovative social and behaviour change strategies that diffuse family planning ideas through social networks, diminish normative and communication barriers, and catalyse modern family planning use.

Social Media and Social Movements

Abstract This contribution assesses the function and use of corporate-run social media, including its efficacy for organizing social movements. An extended critique of Black Lives Matter considers the impact of its social media activities on mitigating racial inequality. Drawing from successful social movements, participatory democracy, mass physical protest, and independence from established political institutions appear as necessary ingredients for constructing social media strategies for social change.

The El Valor de Nuestra Salud clustered randomized controlled trial store-based intervention to promote fruit and vegetable purchasing and consumption

BackgroundModifying the environment to promote healthy foods is a population-based approach for improving diet. This study evaluated the outcome effectiveness of a food store intervention that used structural and social change strategies to promote fruits and vegetables. It was hypothesized that intervention versus control store customers would improve their consumption of fruits and vegetables at 6 months.Trial designClustered randomized controlled trialMethodsSixteen pair-matched stores were randomized to an intervention or wait-list control condition. With the research team’s support, intervention stores modified the availability, accessibility, and promotion of fruits and vegetables, including augmenting produce displays within the store and building employees’ capacity to place and promote fruits and vegetables throughout the store (Phase 1), followed by the delivery of a customer-directed marketing campaign for 6 months (Phase 2). From months 7 to 12, stores were encouraged to maintain strategies on their own (Phase 3). Customer-reported daily fruit and vegetable consumption (cups/day) were collected by blinded research assistants at three time-points (baseline, 6 months and 12 months post-baseline) from 369 participating customers (an average of 23/store). Secondary outcomes included customer-reported fruit and vegetable purchasing and other behaviors.ResultsThe study retained the 16 stores and most customers at 6 (91%) and 12 (89%) months. Although significant differences were not observed in the overall sample for vegetable consumption, male customers of intervention versus control stores consumed significantly more fruit daily at 6 months [mean (standard deviation) cups at baseline and six months; intervention: 1.6 (1.5) to 1.6 (1.5) vs. control: 1.4 (1.2) to 1.1 (0.8)]. However, this difference was not observed at 12 months, or among females. There was an overall increase in dollars spent at the targeted store in the intervention versus control condition among male versus female customers at 6 months; however, no change was observed in the percent of dollars spent on fruits and vegetables at the targeted store. Frequency of shopping at the targeted store did not modify intervention effects.ConclusionsStructural and social change interventions can modify customers’ behavior in the short-term. Future research should consider methods for achieving longer-term changes, and potential generalizability to other products (e.g., energy-dense sweet and savory products).Trial registrationNCT01475526

Understanding Social Change in the Perspective of Da'wah on the Thought of Mohammad Natsir

Mohammad Natsir is a figure of social change in strategic proselytizing thinking with its theory in its implementation. From this perspective, the thought of Mohammad Natsir finds his willingness to be appointed and analyzed. The method used is a descriptive analysis, and the data for writing this article is relevant literature. The study results found that in his proselytizing perspective, Mohammad Natsir's thoughts on the Concepts and Strategies of Social Change were: firstly, determining the purpose and function of da'wah is as shuhadā' 'alā al-nās, being a pioneer and overseer for the ummah of man and delivering man to the ultimate purpose of life, which is to worship God. Secondly, prepare a good da'wah or agent of social change to achieve perfection in da'wah's purpose. Natsir explained that a da'i must master Tafaqquh fī al-Dīn and Tafaqquh fī al-Nās. Thirdly, wisdom is the most excellent proselytizing method applied among other methods. According to Natsir, wisdom is more than mere science. It is nutritional science that has been digested and blends with a sense of check to become a driving force to make social change.

Community perspectives on food security and dietary diversity among rural smallholder farmers: A qualitative study in central Uganda

Smallholder farmers produce majority of food in developing countries yet continue to be vulnerable to poverty, food insecurity, limited diet quality and diversity, malnutrition, and face various production challenges. Though quantitative studies have explored determinants of dietary diversity among farmers, this data can be further enriched with farmer experiences and perspectives of whether and how these factors affect dietary diversity to inform intervention design and implementation. A qualitative study was conducted among rural smallholder farmers in Kiboga district, Central Uganda with 28 participants in eight focus group discussions (four groups with men and four groups with women). The results showed that both men and women were concerned about food security and dietary diversity and viewed household food production as pivotal to food security. Purchase of food was affected by prices, household income, distance to markets and food diversity in the accessed markets. Major determinants of dietary diversity included household food production, agricultural and nutrition knowledge and awareness, information access and use, household income, and time. Poor perception towards meetings, insufficient nutrition information, skills and training were also noted. Gender influences and differences noted were concerned with allocation and use of harvested food and income within the household; more men than women having a poor perception towards meetings/trainings; and women having limited time for agricultural and nutrition practices that support dietary diversity. From the results, efforts to improve dietary diversity should address the food security and production challenges faced; support income generation whether on- or off-farm and market access to diverse foods; use designs that address gender issues and are labor and time sensitive; and include capacity building in nutrition and practices that support access to and utilization of diverse food baskets, and social behavior change strategies. • Information access and use among determinants influencing dietary diversity. • A knowledge gap in the understanding and perception of dietary diversity noted. • More men than women had a poor perception towards meetings/trainings. • Limited time for practices that support dietary diversity reported by only women. • Social behavior change communication strategy needed to address information access.

Evaluating power building: Concepts and considerations for advocacy evaluators

AbstractPower is a fundamental dimension of social change that evaluators regularly overlook. To evaluate power effectively, the evaluation field needs a necessary reorientation in understandings of social change goals, outcomes, strategies, and actors. A focus on power is a missing component in advocacy evaluation and represents a paradigm shift for advocacy evaluators. This article explores the theoretical contributions and methodological considerations of evaluating power, drawing from our experience evaluating nine community organizations' power‐building work focused on economic justice policy reforms. We conclude that four considerations can reorient evaluations to the role of power: (1) grounding power evaluations in equitable evaluation, (2) expanding the scope of evaluations beyond a focus on policy wins to examine individual and collective liberation, (3) incorporating frameworks that acknowledge and assess the iterative and cyclical nature of power building, and (4) clarifying the unit of analysis to consider how a wide array of actors build and wield power.

Harnessing Social and Behavioural Change Strategies for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19: A Perspective from Tanzania.

Social and behavioural change strategies are crucial to facilitating the adoption of preventive behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the success of such social and behavioural changes, the community should be aware of the interventions and willing to adhere to health advice. This letter details the strategies employed in Tanzania to accelerate the adoption of preventive behaviour and contain the spread of COVID-19.

Educar y formar en el empoderamiento pacifista

Pacifist empowerment is constituted as a non-violent social change strategy that grants people and their communities agency power, which allows them to change the course of the conflicts that affect them and thereby achieve the visibility that they possess an innate and inactive power in which it is possible to educate, train and transform. This article discusses the epistemological and ontological assumptions of pacifist empowerment, with a proposal that intends to link them with the principles for education for peace so that it becomes a teaching tool in everyday life and in the classrooms of all students. educational levels in Mexico, preferably at the primary level. The phenomenological and hermeneutical research proposed here is complemented by an extensive theoretical discussion, where the complexity in which the human being inhabits and the conflicts derived from it are placed as transformative scenarios, which must be managed from the peace and peaceful power of the people can reduce harm to individuals and their social groups.

Entrepreneurship and Sport: A Strategy for Social Inclusion and Change.

The relationship between sport and entrepreneurship is an emerging but constantly evolving research field, especially in recent years. This is an extremely important topic considering its positive impact on public health, social inclusion, economic development, and the promotion of intercultural exchange. This study has carried out a comprehensive and systematic review of literature on entrepreneurship and sport as tools for implementing social change. We used several bibliometric indicators in order to understand the current state of the literature, and scientific mapping analysis (keywords co-occurrence) to interpret the main theoretical areas of scientific interest. By searching the Scopus database, a total of 239 peer-reviewed articles were analyzed. The results showed the identification of six major recurring themes in the literature. For the purposes of our contribution, the recently developed line of research which considers sport as a tool for solving social problems through social change appears to be of particular importance. These data allow us to conclude that it is a highly multidisciplinary and active field. Suggestions for future lines of research and methodological limitations are discussed.

PEMANFAATAN APLIKASI WHATSAPP PADA PELATIHAN KERAJINAN KAIN FLANEL DALAM PEMBERDAYAAN MASYARAKAT DI BENING SAGULING FOUNDATION

Community Empowerment is essentially a planned social change strategy aimed at addressing problems or meeting the needs of the community. In the process of empowerment, people get learning to be able to independently make efforts to improve their quality of life. The purpose of this research is (1) to know how to use the Whatsapp application in flannel fabric training in Community empowerment in Bening Saguling Foundation, (2) Knowing the process of using the Whatsapp application in flannel fabric training in Community empowerment in Bening Saguling Foundation, (3) Knowing the results of the use of Whatsapp application in the training of flannel fabric in community This research was conducted at Bening Saguling Village Babakan Cianjur, district of Cihampelas West Bandung Regency. The respondents in this study were the managers of Bening Saguling Foundation, tutors and three representatives of the citizens learned. The methods used in this study are descriptive and qualitative approaches that are facts based on the outcome of the field. The result of this research is expected to facilitate the tutor to provide material outside the lesson hours, and help residents learn the community around Bening Saguling in terms of science, life skills, and also in terms of economics. Their skills increased as well as the well-being of his life made easy