Helpdesk Reports
A rapid review of the literature has found a selection of innovative WASH options available for situations of severe population overcrowding and limited spaces. Case study information was collated from African, Middle Eastern, South Asian and Caribbean countries. As requested, a number of experts were consulted for their opinion where there was a lack of… Read more
This report is a general overview of lessons learned about delivery mechanisms from school health programmes. Results are ordered by type of educational institution (primary, secondary, tertiary i.e. representing different age groups and needs), where available. Evidence on school health programmes is stronger for developed/higher income countries than low and middle income/developing countries. Limited information… Read more
This report focuses on the evidence on the health, economic and other benefits of investing in family planning. Family planning allows people to attain their desired number of children and determine the spacing of pregnancies. It is achieved through use of contraceptive methods and the treatment of infertility (WHO 2015). A large and growing body… Read more
This report looks at the evidence available on effective behaviour change communication for increasing the uptake of family planning methods. It provides information on several different methods. Studies indicate that if a woman has been given advice to adopt postpartum contraception three or more times, the couple are more likely to have adopted a method…. Read more
Households and individuals make decisions every day that directly impact on their health and nutrition outcomes, which are influenced by many factors, including social norms, myths and misinformation, impulsivity and procrastination, and the country context they live in (Ashton et al, 2015, p. 7; Luoto, 2017, p. 1). Behavioural economics/insights can help explain this decision… Read more
This report focuses on providing global examples of how anthropological evidence and insights on health-related matters have been utilised in programmes and innovations. It also considers lessons learned and has a section focusing on socially conservative settings. Section 2 focuses on providing examples of how anthropology has been used, particularly focusing on the Ebola epidemic… Read more
Several behaviour-change communication (BCC) approaches have been effective in changing health-related behaviours, as well as increasing the demand for appropriate health services. However, limitations have been found in these approaches to varying degrees. As in the first part of this query (part one), results for this review are primarily taken from countries or regions with… Read more
The literature uncovered by this rapid review regarding the effectiveness of behaviour-change communication (BCC) states that certain approaches and tools can and do succeed in improving maternal dietary practices, breastfeeding, as well as complementary feeding when used in health and nutrition programmes. These approaches also influence maternal and child health behaviours in socially-conservative settings which… Read more
This report focuses on the impact of school health programmes. School health programmes can cover both the prevention and treatment of disease and malnutrition in a school setting (Snilstveit et al 2016). These services are designed to promote students’ physical, cognitive, and social development. Effective school health programmes are broadly considered to be cost-effective. They… Read more
This report provides a review of key literature and evidence on the LLINs and private sector. The evidence base for this report is vast and spans more than twenty years of research evidence, policy documents and implementation programme evaluations and data from sub Saharan Africa and Asia. The relevant literature spans academic publications in biological… Read more
Whilst the provision of psycho-social activities is regularly mentioned in documents referring to the humanitarian response to education, there is a dearth of literature that refers to exactly what these programmes consist of, and how effective they are. There is, however, widespread recognition of the importance of providing psycho-social interventions to counter the impact of… Read more