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Specific guidance

Specific guidance on formative research and measuring behaviours

Formative research for Assisting Behaviour Change: A practical guide for field workers
Action Against Hunger, 2018
This guide is designed for field practitioners designing and implementing projects that assist behaviour change in a wide range of sectors. It presents five steps: literature review, community assessment, barrier analysis, complementary research and using findings to design a strategy.

Focus on Families and Culture: A guide for conducting a participatory assessment on maternal and child nutrition
Aubel J, Rychtarik A, Grandmother Project (GMP) – Change through Culture, 2015
Guidance on how to plan and carry out a rapid community assessment on family roles and influence related to the first 1,000 days of life so as to design more effective maternal and child nutrition programmes. Also available in French.

Behaviour Centred Design formative research protocols V1
Aunger R, White S, de Witt Huberts J, Greenland K, Curtis V, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2017
A description of more than 30 different research tools to use in meetings and visits during formative research.

Formative Research: A guide to support the collection and analysis of qualitative data for integrated maternal and child nutrition program planning
CARE, 2014
Basic information and tools needed to conduct and analyze qualitative research. Although the methods reviewed in this guide are focused on infant and young child feeding (IYCF), maternal nutrition, and food security, they can be applied to numerous topics.

Doer/non-doer analysis to specify the critical behavioural factors, Methodological Fact Sheet N° 5
Mosler H-J, Contzen N, Eawag, 2015
Describes the three steps in the methodology for doer/non-doer analysis used in the RANAS approach: first, survey respondents are divided into doers and non-doers; second, mean scores are calculated separately for doers and non-doers; third, the mean scores are compared between doers and non-doers.

Practical Guidance for Measuring Handwashing Behaviour: 2013 Update
Ram P, World Bank WSP, 2013
Describes the pros and cons of self-reported, proxy, and directly observed measures of handwashing. Presents evidence for the validity and efficiency of each measure, the potential for bias or data collection errors, the use of the measure in the evaluation of handwashing programs, and the utility of the measure. Includes recommendations for the measurement of handwashing in a variety of contexts.

Measuring Childcare Practices: Approaches, Indicators, and Implications for Programs
Ruel MT, Arimond M, International Food Policy Research Institute, 2003
Presents and reviews the simple and valid measurement methods and indicators: continuous observation, spot-checks and recall methods. Offers practical suggestions to enhance monitoring and evaluation of child nutrition programmes.