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Early Initiation of Breastfeeding

Step 12: Monitor how much behavior change is happening

Here Step 12

Goal: Track

 

 

TEAM TASK: Input your baseline data into the BIG system, or system of your choice, including targets for behavioral uptake, and follow your program activities and the results of these activities.

Step Output: Behavior outcomes

Tool Needed: Behavior Data Dashboard – description – online

In these step description pages we give you a breakdown of everything you need to do to get started with program measurement.  Completing all the steps (5 per phase, 15 total for the whole process) will round out phase three of the Think | BIG approach, called Track and Adapt.  Steps for each phase match the goals for that phase of behavior integration guidance (BIG).  We also tell you what tools we have to help you with each step and the main task for your team.  Power through to a successful finish!

Monitoring keeps your program on track. Without checking in regularly, it’s impossible to know how your activities are affecting your primary actors. Are their lives improving because of practicing your priority behaviors?  Can you make it easier for them to practice?  Can you recognize the brilliance of their changes with them in a positive way? 

Monitoring lets you answer these questions and more, like:

  • To what extent are your activities carried out? Why? How?
  • Are they being carried out with the primary actors of your priority behaviors as intended?
  • How are your primary actors feeling about all this change?
  • Are activities and solutions accepted and acceptable?
  • To what extent are the supporting actors carrying out their needed actions? Why? How?
  • How are you as program managers managing this implementation and process? Do you need more support?

When monitoring behavior change, sometimes changes can be seen immediately.  Other times it takes a bit more time to see.  You need to be patient.

Some practices will change and be immediately evident, such as patients attending clinics to get their COVID-19 vaccines. They will go quickly to get their vaccination or not go at all because of your interventions.  Other practices will be tried, but not yet totally in place.  For example, farmers testing new irrigation techniques.  While you see the techniques being used immediately, until the farmers see results in crop outputs, they will not fully adopt the behavior.  So, you will need to wait on the crops to see the final behavior outcome.

But whether change is fast or slow, you need to monitor it on an ongoing basis.  You never know when change will happen, and you want to be there to capture it when it does.  It’s the whole reason you developed and implemented a behavior-led social and behavior change program.  You don’t want to miss it!

Monitoring also has a surprising secondary effect.

You’ll feel good with your primary actors and with yourselves…  Whether the monitoring results are super positive or not so much.

Just being out there with your communities, working to bring about change together with them and for them, is energizing for everyone’s well-being.

It’s why you do the work you do. Take advantage of every opportunity to get out there and monitor.

Deep into monitoring now? Keep in mind your factor-level outcomes to monitor. 

Need a bit more information?  Try checking out this offline tool. 

We are also ready to help if you send us an email.

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