Supporting behavioural and cultural insights (BCI) for health

BCI can help to address persistent health challenges that involve human behaviour. By better understanding what prevents or drives behaviours, more effective interventions can be implemented across policies, services and communication. BCI work includes:

defining problems and conducting research into root causes, barriers to and drivers of health behaviours;
planning and implementing interventions informed by these insights; and
monitoring, evaluating and scaling up or replicating effective interventions and policies.

WHO/Europe works closely with countries and partners to support such activities across health areas. Below we elaborate on some of the key areas and concepts:

BCI research
Applying BCI in health policy, services and communication
Health literacy
Cultural contexts of health
Arts and health

BCI research

Understanding which factors prevent or drive health behaviours and testing which interventions have an impact is at the heart of applying BCI for better health.

A deeper understanding of these factors can be achieved through new or existing evidence about the human mind, social and cultural influences, the structural environment, health literacy levels, and the health topic in question. Testing which interventions have an impact may involve experiments, trials or multicomponent action research.

Such research should consider potential issues related to health equity as well as factors such as age, gender, health literacy, disability, cultural diversity, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status.

Possible actions to conduct BCI research may include:

synthesizing existing evidence to produce literature reviews or briefs on factors that prevent or drive health behaviours, and on the impact of interventions to improve health behaviours;
conducting studies on factors that prevent or drive health behaviours in the general population or in priority population groups, using qualitative methods (for example, observation, interviews, focus groups, engagement) as well as quantitative methods (for example, surveys, social media monitoring);
conducting experiments, trials or multicomponent action research projects to evaluate the impact of evidence-informed interventions, in specific contexts and with specific population groups; and
supplementing the above by exploring innovative ways to engage with and listen to those whose voices are often not heard, and by acquiring data from other sectors that affect health-related behaviours, including those related to education, housing, social services, culture, employment, migration and more.

Show less Show more

Applying BCI in health policy, services and communication

Health policy

It is challenging for individuals to change health-related behaviours when faced with unhealthy alternatives that are more attractive, convenient or cheap. Such alternatives may even be underpinned by social norms and expectations, or a lack of rights or access to support. In some cases, rather than increasing people’s knowledge or changing their perceptions, it may be more effective to alter the environment around them. As such, at the policy level, BCI can be applied to the design of regulatory measures, the design of policies and interventions, and the functioning of health systems and communities.

Health services

BCI can be used to strengthen health services by making them more convenient, accessible, acceptable and equitable, and by making sure they respond to the needs of patients, citizens and health providers. Such a people-centred approach in the health-care system can lead to better uptake of preventive measures, better adherence to treatment, better use of health services, and better procedures, treatment and prescribing among health personnel.

Health communication

Message framing as well as the language, visuals and channels used for engaging and communicating with people need to be tailored to the context to effectively influence health behaviours. To make sure that messages and channels are effective, and that they do not have negative backfire effects, it can be useful to test them in an initial experiment. In some cases, it may be possible and effective to use channels that allow a wide number of people to be reached at a relatively low cost; in others, more intensive or direct approaches are needed.

Show less Show more

Health literacy

Low health literacy is one of the factors associated with poorer health outcomes, such as more hospitalizations, greater use of emergency care, lower use of screening and preventive services, and less ability to take medication appropriately and to interpret labels and health messages. WHO/Europe supports countries to collect data and monitor population health literacy levels and to use this insight to develop evidence-informed interventions.

Cultural contexts of health

In a model of health that considers the whole person, not just the disease, the role of cultural practices, norms, values, perceptions and beliefs is of critical importance. WHO/Europe uses innovative methodological approaches to systematically incorporate the views and lived experiences of key stakeholders in countries.

Arts and health

Over the past 2 decades, innovations incorporating the arts and health have been used to improve physical and mental health and well-being in communities; provide therapeutic, rehabilitative and preventive impacts; increase awareness of health; and contribute to emergency preparedness. WHO/Europe is leading work to research the effects of integrating the arts in health through its culture and health programme.

News

All →

20 October 2022

News release

Collaboration is key to countering online misinformation about noncommunicable diseases –new WHO/Europe toolkit shows how

6 October 2022

News release

New guide to evaluating behaviourally and culturally informed health interventions in complex settings

26 September 2022

News release

New expert group on behavioural and cultural insights for health

14 September 2022

Statement

Statement - The new normal is 'dual track healthcare'

Publications

All →

Toolkit for tackling misinformation on noncommunicable disease: forum for tackling misinformation on health and NCDs

Download

How together we can make the world’s most healthy and sustainable public food procurement

We know that human health and environmental health can no longer be kept separate. This is a unique time to transform our food systems in the WHO European...

Download