Communication for child survival

It provides detailed descriptions of: (1) public health communication and its role in child survival programs; (2) three disciplines which have significantly influenced public health communication - social marketing, behavior analysis, and anthropology; (3) the three stages of the communications methodology - planning, intervention, and monitoring/evaluation; and (4) methods for assuring the continued application or "institutionalization" of a public health communication strategy. The strategy as applied to child survival has been tested in A.I.D. projects in more than ten countries. The examples used here are drawn largely from two A.I.D. projects, the Mass Media and Health Practices Project (MMHP) and the Communication for Child Survival Project (HEALTHCOM), which have assisted national child survival programs in several countries, focusing on a range of health areas including oral rehydration therapy, immunization, nutrition, breastfeeding, growth monitoring, and others. Annexes include a 5-page bibliography, sample communications materials, and case studies from Egypt, Pakistan, Honduras, The Gambia, Tanzania, and Tunisia. (Author abstract, modified)