Investing in Social and Behavior Change is Cost-effective for Improving Malaria Behaviors in Tanzania

Social and behavior change (SBC) programming is considered an essential part of malaria prevention and treatment interventions, yet gaps in information on the cost and impact of SBC mean decision-makers have underappreciated the value of SBC for contributing to improved health outcomes.

To address this issue, Breakthrough RESEARCH has leveraged evidence from 112 studies on the impact of SBC interventions on malaria health behaviors and 70 studies on general SBC intervention costs to model the cost-effectiveness of SBC programming for malaria in the Business Case for Investing in Social and Behavior Change for Malaria.

The Breakthrough RESEARCH malaria business case modeled the cost-effectiveness of malaria SBC for malaria-related health behaviors in Tanzania by combining the evidence on cost and effectiveness of SBC for malaria-related health behaviors with country-specific data on the current context and an estimated five-year investment scenario based on national planning and implementation reports.

SBC interventions aim to improve the use of insecticide-treated bed nets and care seeking for fever and treatment adherence. In Tanzania, an integrated SBC program includes mass media campaigns, interpersonal communication, community events, and text message reminders related to malaria treatment.

For more information, contact Nicole Bellows, NBellows@avenirhealth.org

Source: Avenir Health

Date of Publication: September 19, 2021