C-CHANNEL E-NEWSLETTER: Social and Behavior Change Communication
ISSUE 33 September 2011
C-Channel presents articles of particular interest to programs that communicate with young people: the use of interactive games and text messaging to promote health and behavior change.
The first article examines whether and how health behavior theories have been applied to mobile interventions.
The next three articles address text messaging on HIV prevention for specific audiencesyoung African American men, methamphetamine-using MSM, and secondary school students in Uganda. (See <http://c-changeproject.org/c/7cyg9>C\-Channel 24 for other articles on text messaging: <http://c-changeproject.org/c/7cyg9>http://c-changeproject.org/c/7cyg9\)
Two articles are on serious video games for youth and how behavioral science and principles of cognitive behavior theory guided their development.
The final article summarizes the literature on positive health effects of video games.
Under the USAID-funded <http://www.fhi.org/en/Research/Projects/Progress/index.htm>PROGRESS project, FHI360 developed a research and implementation project called <http://www.fhi.org/en/Research/Projects/Progress/GTL/mobile_tech.htm>Mobile for Reproductive Health (m4RH). In Kenya and Tanzania, m4RH provides text messages that aim to improve the uptake, correct use, and continuation of family planning methods. Messages about nine different family planning methods are 160 characters or less and include the locations of family planning clinics and services. <http://www.fhi.org/en/Research/Projects/Progress/GTL/mobile_tech.htm>www\.fhi\.org/en/Research/Projects/Progress/GTL/mobile\_tech\.htm
To view the abstracts from this issue, please visit <http://c-changeproject.org/c/m89z3>http://c-changeproject.org/c/m89z3
Text messaging
1. Mobile interventions: Are our theories up to the task?
<http://1.usa.gov/qeNwyG>ONLINE FULL TEXT
2. Development of HIV-prevention messaging for young African American men
3. Risk-reduction messaging for methamphetamine-using MSM
<http://1.usa.gov/oWyQHr>ONLINE FULL TEXT
4. Acceptability of HIV prevention messaging for youth in Uganda
Interactive games
5. How behavioral science guided the development of a serious video game
6. Video games in health care
<http://bit.ly/nM9mkX>ONLINE FULL TEXT
7. A game designed to improve mental health and wellbeing of young men
<http://bit.ly/phcuEJ>ONLINE FULL TEXT
OTHER RESOURCES
As a recognized leader in information and communications technologies, <http://www.healthnet.org/>FHI360\-SATELLIFE has supported mHealth projects in 23 countriessee <http://www.healthnet.org/>http://www.healthnet.org/\. In three hospitals in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, the Mobile Health Information System Project piloted training for 50 nurses in the use of smart phones loaded with locally relevant information.
The project is now scheduled for expansion to rural areas of the Eastern Cape. <http://bit.ly/icdbhM>An article in the South African Medical Journal attested to its usefulness. <http://bit.ly/icdbhM>http://bit.ly/icdbhM
To view the abstracts from this issue, please visit:
<http://c-changeproject.org/c/m89z3>http://c-changeproject.org/c/m89z3
Back issues of C-Channel can be accessed at:
<http://c-changeproject.org/c/vud1d>http://c-changeproject.org/c/vud1d