This guide was developed for district and block level program managers to orient them to the NRHM BCC strategy in Uttar Pradesh, India, and help them understand the important role of coordinated and cohesive BCC in quality health programs. It guides district and block level program managers on integrating BCC from the state strategy into their annual Program Implementation Plans (PIPs) for impact at the community level. The BCC strategy of the NRHM identifies 27 priority behaviors for change based on health needs in Uttar Pradesh, and proposes a roadmap of interventions to address those needs through state, district and block level program managers and workers through specific roles and implementation plans for each intervention.

Written from a layman’s perspective, this document provides useful guidelines for designing and delivering BCC activities that are coordinated with the state’s BCC strategy to improve effectiveness of the NRHM’s health programs in communities.The guide includes an introduction to behavior change communication, an introduction to the UP BCC strategy, a situation analysis, a list of campaigns and activities in the area from 2010, an explanation of BCC monitoring and evaluation, and BCC messages for priority stakeholders. The appendices include a sample integrated BCC campaign and BCC distribution guidelines.