Webinar Recording: How Can SBC Programming Address Equity and Social Determinants of Health Considerations in FP/RH?

"...an invitation to our community to be more intentional and consistent in considering and addressing the social determinants to advance health equity..." - Danette Wilkins

This Breakthrough ACTION webinar, the second in a series, focuses on how social and behaviour change (SBC) programming is well suited to addressing equity and social determinants of health (SDOH) in family planning (FP)/reproductive health (RH). It also explores how to apply these concepts to efforts to effect social and structural change pertaining to contraceptive autonomy and reproductive empowerment. Presentations feature the voices and experiences of global researchers and practitioners based in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.

The webinar opens with an issue overview by Danette Wilkins, Program Officer, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP). Wilkins introduces attendees to Breakthrough ACTION and provides definitions of key terms that are used throughout the webinar. She also describes - and highlights key considerations from - "Expanding the "S" in Social and Behavior Change: Addressing Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity in SBC Programming", one of two recent Breakthrough ACTION resources that may support practitioners in incorporating SDOH into their work in this field (see Related Summaries, below).

The discussion portion of the webinar is moderated by Carol Underwood, Associate Professor, CCP, who works on the Breakthrough ACTION project. The featured panelists are:

• Babafunke Fagbemi, Executive Director, Centre for Communication and Social Impact, Nigeria
• Catherine Lengewa, Technical Director, Centre for Behaviour Change and Communication, Kenya
• Sara Jewett Nieuwoudt, Senior Lecturer and Coordinator of the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

Underwood begins by asking the panelists to describe their experiences with addressing SDOH in their SBC work. The panelists outline some of the challenges they have faced in finding ways to think about this lens; Nieuwoudt, for example, uses storytelling or case studies as a way to introduce the idea of SDOH to postgraduate students or SBC practitioners so they can be reoriented away from the notion that individual agency alone is what is going to solve many of the public health issues we're facing. Underwood also prompts the panelists to discuss some recommendations for how we can more intentionally address the SDOH in SBC programme design, implementation, and/or monitoring and evaluation. For instance, Lengewa points to the utility of working across sectors and looking at multiple levels and linkages - providing an example of an integrated service model put into place in Turkana, Kenya. Panelists also share their thoughts on challenges and opportunities for tackling SDOH, such as the notion that practitioners working on health inequities around FP/RH should continue to learn together (build capacity), share best practices (e.g., through a repository of evidence), engage in effective advocacy and alliance-building, and, ultimately, establish self-sustaining SBC platforms with robust interventions at their core.

Relevant links:

• The English version of the webinar is available by clicking above. Click here to watch it in French.
• Click here for the webinar slides (English, PDF, 19 pages).
• Click here to access a document referenced in the webinar, "Healthy People 2030 - Social Determinants of Health".
• Click here to access "Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity through Action on the Social Determinants of Health - Final Report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health", also referenced in the webinar.
• Click here to access the recording of the first webinar in this series: "Why Do We Need to Elevate the "S" in SBC to Improve Family Planning/Reproductive Health Outcomes?"
• Click here to access the recording of the third webinar in this series: "What Does It Mean to Prioritize Social Accountability in SBC Programming to Address Equity and Social Determinants of Health in FP/RH?"