A step-by-step process >
II. Analysis
Analysis is a critical stage in the behaviour-change process as it determines the quality of information that is used for design, implementation and monitoring of the behaviour-change intervention.
The methodology used is called formative research. This is research carried out before or during a behaviour-change intervention to inform and refine its design and provide accurate, up-to-date and evidence-based information for developing a strategy and activities.
In the Initiation stage, two key questions should have been answered:
- Which are the behaviours to focus on in a behaviour-change intervention?
- Who is practising those behaviours?
Now, in the Analysis stage, these questions are researched further, and two more questions are explored:
- What are the current barriers to change and what enablers and drivers for change are feasible?
- What are the most likely effective ways to assist behaviour change?
a) Formative-research design
Action Against Hunger recommends the following steps for carrying out formative research to answer these questions.
Literature review
To summarize what is already known about the local context, the priority group and its practices related to the behaviours promoted in the project. It helps to identify what information is still missing and should be investigated in the field. It informs the selection of the behaviour for the barrier analysis by highlighting existing gaps in current practice.
Community assessment
To gain a better understanding of the context where the behaviours take place and of the people involved: what they do, how, and why they do so. It gives valuable information on how to communicate effectively, and with which media and communication channels to use. Finally, the community assessment is an opportunity to dialogue with community members and find out what would be the best solution to facilitate behaviour adoption in their opinions.
Assessment of behavioural factors
To explore the factors influencing behaviours and identify which are the most important barriers, drivers and enablers of behaviour change. This step also identifies the main groups who influence the people practising the behaviours in question. This is helpful for prioritizing activities and better managing resources by highlighting what is more likely to have a strong behaviour-change effect.
Complementary research
It is often necessary to refine and help understand the formative-research findings.
For example, findings from previous steps may indicate who are the influencing groups and how the people practising the behaviours in question perceive the attitudes of these groups. Conducting additional research is useful to investigate these attitudes in order to decide how best to mobilise influencing groups to assist behaviour change. If findings suggest that lack of a suitable technical option creates a significant barrier to behaviour change (acceptable and affordable latrines for example, or appropriate and sustainable agricultural inputs) then additional research focused on technical design may be required.
If initial findings suggest that behaviour-change communication is likely to be a major component of the intervention then more detailed research may be required to define different audiences and their profiles so as to design an effective communications strategy.
There are many different formative-research methods available for assessing community context, behavioural factors and complementary elements, and there is no correct method for all situations. A number of different approaches have been developed, using different combinations of research methods.
The following list offers guidance on choosing a formative-research approach, depending on how much time is available, the level of expertise required and the behaviour or intervention focus of the research.
Choose or design a formative research approach.
1 to 2 weeks, or a day or so from time to time
| Options | Levels of expertise required | Behaviour or intervention focus of the research | Where to find guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid secondary-data review and a small number of structured observations, interviews and focus-group discussions | Experience of qualitative and participatory research methods | All behaviours and intervention types | ABC - Assisting Behaviour Change Part 2, Action Against Hunger, 2013, pages 36-41 |
| A software-based decision-making tool that helps humanitarian actors design rapid, evidence-based and context-specific hygiene programs | No specialized expertise is required but should be managed by someone who has completed the 1-day training on the use of the tools. | Handwashing in emergencies | Wash'Em |
| Mum’s Magic Hands ‘Assessment and Analysis’ step | Experience of qualitative and participatory research methods | Handwashing in emergencies based on predetermined motivators and behaviour-change interventions | Mum’s magic hands: A field guide for rapid implementation of handwashing promotion in emergencies, Oxfam, 2018 |
2 to 6 weeks
| Options | Levels of expertise required | Behaviour or intervention focus of the research | Where to find guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full range of ABC research methods | Experience of qualitative and participatory research methods and research design | All behaviours and intervention types | ABC - Assisting Behaviour Change Part 2, Action Against Hunger, 2013, pages 36-50 |
| Barrier analysis | No specialized expertise is required but should be managed by someone who has completed the 5-day training on barrier analysis (as proposed by the CAD or RANAS approaches), with data collection by trained enumerators. | WASH, Food Security, Agriculture, Nutrition, Natural Resource Management, Gender – recommended to focus on one behaviour at a time | A Practical Guide to Conducting a Barrier Analysis Formative research for Assisting Behavior Change, Action Against Hunger, 2018 Behavior Change Manual, HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation, 2017 |
| Behaviour Centred Design – ‘Assess’ and ‘Build’ stages | Expertise in social science research | Built for WASH, but applied to other health-related sectors, including food hygiene particularly for infants and young children. Potential application to food security & livelihoods and disaster-risk reduction | Behaviour centred design: a practitioner’s manual V1, LSHTM, 2017 |
| TIPs (Trials of Improved Practices) | Qualitative research skills | Very broad range of health-related behaviours. Not suitable for behaviours that: stretch over a long time (e.g. breastfeeding) those that are rare or unpredictable behaviours, those that face strong external barriers or those that require collaboration or approval of many different actors | Trials of Improved Practices (TIPs): Giving Participants a Voice in Program Design, Manoff Group |
| SBCC I-Kit Step 1: ‘Analyze the Situation’ and Step 2: ‘Identify and describe the Audience’ | Generalist, to manage the process, experience in social research if formative research is required | Maternal and infant health, including hygiene and other care practices | Designing a Social and Behavior Change Communication Strategy |
6 to 12 weeks
| Options | Levels of expertise required | Behaviour or intervention focus of the research | Where to find guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanitation Marketing formative research process | Expertise in market and consumer research | Sanitation promotion, can be used to promote other behaviours, such as handwashing, with a social-marketing approach | Introductory Guide to Sanitation Marketing, World Bank WSP, 2011 |
Once the formative-research approach has been chosen or designed, the researcher or research team can carry out the research.
b) Carry out formative research
The project manager’s role in this step will vary, according to the scale and complexity of the research, but may commonly involve the following:
- Participate in writing the Terms of Reference for the formative research;
- Participate in selecting the researcher or research team;
- Agree with the researcher or research team on the methodology to be used;
- Provide a budget for the research;
- Obtain any necessary authorisations to carry out the research;
- Facilitate the research process:
- Provide logistics and security support;
- Provide access to documents;
- Facilitate access to key informants and entry into the community;
- Make team members available to participate in the research;
- Facilitate sharing of the research findings with the project team and other important stakeholders;
- Facilitate or participate in workshops to take the research findings forward into the design stage.
Once the formative-research approach has been chosen or designed, the researcher or research team can carry out the research.
Analyse and formalize the formative-research results.
c) Formative-research analysis
During and at the end of the formative research, the results should be analysed to produce findings that can be used for the next stage, which is designing a behaviour-change strategy.
The findings should produce or confirm answers to the four questions already mentioned:
- Which are the behaviours to focus on in a behaviour-change intervention?
- Who is practising those behaviours?
- What are the current barriers to change and what enablers and drivers for change are feasible?
- What are the most likely effective ways to assist behaviour change?
Formative-research findings should be formalised and presented to the project team in a summarised format that helps them understand the whole picture and makes it easier for them to participate in the Design stage. The DBC Framework shown below is a useful format for doing this.
Analyse and formalise the formative-research results.
a) Formative-research design
Choose or design a formative research approach.
Action Against Hunger recommends the following steps for carrying out formative research to answer these questions.
Literature review
To summarize what is already known about the local context, the priority group and its practices related to the behaviours promoted in the project. It helps to identify what information is still missing and should be investigated in the field. It informs the selection of the behaviour for the barrier analysis by highlighting existing gaps in current practice.
Community assessment
To gain a better understanding of the context where the behaviours take place and of the people involved: what they do, how, and why they do so. It gives valuable information on how to communicate effectively, and with which media and communication channels to use. Finally, the community assessment is an opportunity to dialogue with community members and find out what would be the best solution to facilitate behaviour adoption in their opinions.
Assessment of behavioural factors
To explore the factors influencing behaviours and identify which are the most important barriers, drivers and enablers of behaviour change. This step also identifies the main groups who influence the people practising the behaviours in question. This is helpful for prioritizing activities and better managing resources by highlighting what is more likely to have a strong behaviour-change effect.
Complementary research
It is often necessary to refine and help understand the formative-research findings.
For example, findings from previous steps may indicate who are the influencing groups and how the people practising the behaviours in question perceive the attitudes of these groups. Conducting additional research is useful to investigate these attitudes in order to decide how best to mobilise influencing groups to assist behaviour change. If findings suggest that lack of a suitable technical option creates a significant barrier to behaviour change (acceptable and affordable latrines for example, or appropriate and sustainable agricultural inputs) then additional research focused on technical design may be required.
If initial findings suggest that behaviour-change communication is likely to be a major component of the intervention then more detailed research may be required to define different audiences and their profiles so as to design an effective communications strategy.
There are many different formative-research methods available for assessing community context, behavioural factors and complementary elements, and there is no correct method for all situations. A number of different approaches have been developed, using different combinations of research methods.
The following list offers guidance on choosing a formative-research approach, depending on how much time is available, the level of expertise required and the behaviour or intervention focus of the research.
1 to 2 weeks, or a day or so from time to time
Rapid secondary-data review and a small number of structured observations, interviews and focus-group discussions.
- Level of expertise required: Experience of qualitative and participatory research methods.
- Focus of the research: All behaviours and intervention types.
- Additional information.
A software-based decision-making tool that helps humanitarian actors design rapid, evidence-based and context-specific hygiene programs.
- Level of expertise required: No specialized expertise is required but should be managed by someone who has completed the 1-day training on the use of the tools.
- Focus of the research: Handwashing in emergencies.
- Additional information.
Mum’s Magic Hands ‘Assessment and Analysis’ step.
- Level of expertise required: Experience of qualitative and participatory research methods.
- Focus of the research: Handwashing in emergencies based on predetermined motivators and behaviour-change interventions.
- Additional information.
2 to 6 weeks
Full range of ABC – Assisting Behaviour Change research methods.
- Level of expertise required: Experience of qualitative and participatory research methods and research design.
- Focus of the research: All behaviours and intervention types.
- Additional information.
Barrier analysis.
- Level of expertise required: No specialized expertise is required but should be managed by someone who has completed the 5-day training on barrier analysis (as proposed by the CAD or RANAS approaches), with data collection by trained enumerators.
- Focus of the research: WASH, Food Security, Agriculture, Nutrition, Natural Resource Management, Gender – recommended to focus on one behaviour at a time.
- Additional information here and here.
Behaviour Centred Design – ‘Assess’ and ‘Build’ stages.
- Level of expertise required: Expertise in social science research.
- Focus of the research: Built for WASH, but applied to other health-related sectors, including food hygiene particularly for infants and young children. Potential application to food security & livelihoods and disaster-risk reduction.
- Additional information.
TIPs (Trials of Improved Practices).
- Level of expertise required: Qualitative research skills.
- Focus of the research: Very broad range of health-related behaviours. Not suitable for behaviours that: stretch over a long time (e.g. breastfeeding) those that are rare or unpredictable behaviours, those that face strong external barriers or those that require collaboration or approval of many different actors.
- Additional information.
SBCC I-Kit Step 1: ‘Analyze the Situation’ and Step 2: ‘Identify and describe the Audience’.
- Level of expertise required: Generalist, to manage the process, experience in social research if formative research is required.
- Focus of the research: Maternal and infant health, including hygiene and other care practices.
- Additional information.
6 to 12 weeks
Sanitation Marketing formative research process.
- Level of expertise required: Expertise in market and consumer research.
- Focus of the research: Sanitation promotion, can be used to promote other behaviours, such as handwashing, with a social-marketing approach.
- Additional information.
b) Carry out formative research
Once the formative-research approach has been chosen or designed, the researcher or research team can carry out the research.
The project manager’s role in this step will vary, according to the scale and complexity of the research, but may commonly involve the following:
- Participate in writing the Terms of Reference for the formative research;
- Participate in selecting the researcher or research team;
- Agree with the researcher or research team on the methodology to be used;
- Provide a budget for the research;
- Obtain any necessary authorisations to carry out the research;
- Facilitate the research process:
- Provide logistics and security support;
- Provide access to documents;
- Facilitate access to key informants and entry into the community;
- Make team members available to participate in the research;
- Facilitate sharing of the research findings with the project team and other important stakeholders;
- Facilitate or participate in workshops to take the research findings forward into the design stage.
c) Formative-research analysis
Analyse and formalise the formative-research results.
During and at the end of the formative research, the results should be analysed to produce findings that can be used for the next stage, which is designing a behaviour-change strategy.
The findings should produce or confirm answers to the four questions already mentioned:
- Which are the behaviours to focus on in a behaviour-change intervention?
- Who is practising those behaviours?
- What are the current barriers to change and what enablers and drivers for change are feasible?
- What are the most likely effective ways to assist behaviour change?
Formative-research findings should be formalised and presented to the project team in a summarised format that helps them understand the whole picture and makes it easier for them to participate in the Design stage. The DBC Framework shown below is a useful format for doing this.
