**3.1 Definition of social and behavior change**

Several scholars and organizations have defined social and behavior change from various perspectives. Some are defined below.

Mercy Corps [20] defined social and behavior change as a collaborative and transformative process that empowers individuals, households, and communities through improvement in knowledge, shifting norms and perceptions, and modifying structures and policies which facilitate individual and collective behavior change [20].

Prostejov [21] defined social and behavior change as a process that enables individuals, communities, or society to adopt and sustain positive behavior {}. It does so by identifying the various factors that influence people's behavior and addressing these by using those approaches that are most likely to be effective [21].

USAID [22] stated that Social and behavior change (SBC) programming is an approach that applies systematic insights about why people behave the way they do, and how behaviors change, to effect positive outcomes for and by specific groups of people [22].

#### **3.2 Components of social and behavior change**

The components of the social and behavior change intervention include:


#### *3.2.1 Social and behavior change communication*

Social behavior change communication (SBCC) is the systematic application of interactive, theory-based, and research-driven processes and strategies to effect change at the individual, community, and social levels [20]. SBCC examines challenges from multiple sides by analyzing personal, societal, and environmental factors in order to find an effective way to achieve sustainable change. SBCC also employs strategies that influence the physical, socio-economic, and cultural environment to facilitate healthy norms and choices and remove barriers to them.

#### *3.2.2 Community mobilization*

A community is a group of people with a common interest who live together in a specific geographical location. Mobilization on the other hand refers to the process of bringing people together to plan, implement and monitor an initiative to obtain an expected goal. Thus, Community mobilization is the process of engaging communities to identify community priorities, resources, needs, and solutions in such a way as to promote representative participation, good governance, accountability, and peaceful change [20].

#### *Studies in Family Planning*

It is a capacity-building process through which community members, groups, or organizations plan, carry out, and evaluate activities on a participatory and sustained basis with a resultant improvement in their conditions, either on their own initiative or stimulated by others. Community Mobilization is conducted by following some steps known as the Community Action Cycle which is a summary of all the activities needed to be carried out for mobilizing the community in order to ensure success in the implementation of a project. Community members are involved from the beginning and throughout the Community Action Cycle while other individuals and organizations from inside and outside the community provide technical and resource support to the community. The steps for the community mobilization action cycle are preparations for community mobilization, organization of actions for community mobilization, prioritization of needs, activities to be implemented known as the community action plans, monitoring of the plan or projects, and evaluation of the project conducted [22]. Key elements to be ensured during community mobilization include: community participation, setting up a good governance system, ensure accountability and peaceful behavioral change aimed at improving conditions and targets of the project conducted. These are effective in ensuring successful community mobilization and its benefits. For contraceptive use to be optimized there is a need to mobilize community members. Often, respected government officials and traditional/religious leaders who have interest in contraception are mobilized and deployed for supporting the activities. The use of retired and respected health workers within the community is also highly recommended and effective in addressing most of the myths and knowledge gaps that are associated with poor contraceptive use among most communities in low and middle-income countries.

#### *3.2.3 Community engagement*

Community engagement is central to any public health intervention, especially in services and products that some cultures show aversion towards. It involves the process of enabling a population at risk to be able to have the right knowledge and skills needed to respond appropriately to a given public health challenge.

Cavaye [23], defined community engagement as a mutual communication and deliberation that occurs between government/partners and its citizens that enables a mutual formulation of policy related to the provision of specific services [23]. This involves the participation of a community rather than an individual in decision-making process and implantation of various activities that are beneficial to the community taking into consideration the diversity and dynamic nature of its population. Community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar public health challenge that needs to be addressed in order to improve the population's wellbeing [24]. It is a continuum, ranging from low-level engagement strategies such as consultation to high-level strategies such as empowerment [23, 24]. Engaging communities is therefore important to address the gaps in family planning activities. This can be actualized through women groups, civil society organizations, and community-based organizations that are conversant with contraceptives and the means for promoting their use within the community.

### *3.2.4 Advocacy*

Advocacy operates at the political, social, and individual levels and works to mobilize resources and political and social commitment for social change and/or policy change. Resources can include political will and leadership as well as money to fund

the implementation of policies or programs. Advocacy aims to create an enabling environment at the community and society level with a focus on encouraging the use of a service by policymakers and those highly respected in society. For contraceptive use, strong advocacy at the government, institutional, and community level will make the needed difference.
