Soul City Institute: Demonstrating Impact on Social and Behaviour Change

This presentation from a meeting hosted by The Communication Initiative on March 29 2011 ("Social and Behavioural Change Research Results: Strategic Implications") in Geneva, Switzerland, explores the evaluation strategies and impact developed by the Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication in the area of social and behaviour change communication (SBCC). Soul City is a South Africa-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) operating regionally and using approaches such as mass media and edutainment, advocacy, social mobilisation, and school- and community-based outreach activities to promote health and development in South Africa.

The opening slides explore Soul City's SBCC model. On this model: change is not a linear process; behaviour is the product of interactions between components of a complex system; change in the system is linked by feedback processes; key drivers of the change process include dialogue and debate, action and reflection, social learning, and efficacy; and theories of change undergirding it include Bandura's Social Learning and Lewin's Theory of Change.

Soul City's formative research and development process is illustrated in graphic format. To make this concrete, a first example is provided - that of a televised prime-time drama called Soul City, a radio drama (thirty 15-minute episodes in 9 African languages), a series of booklets, and a film series. In addition, Soul Buddyz, designed for 8- to 12-year-olds, includes activities such as clubs and a school-based intervention. Soul City also carries out social mobilisation - for instance, Schools as Nodes of Care (SNOC) through a partnership with the Department of Education, community training with NGO partners, community dialogues, and community development (e.g., an alcohol reduction campaign). A key HIV prevention of Soul City's work is OneLove, which is focused on South Africa and Southern African region.

The subsequent slides outline Soul City's approach in the area of outcome/impact evaluation, as well as intended health and social outcomes of the organisation's programming (e.g., shifting social norms and decrease peer pressure through changes in the interpersonal and community environment). Evaluations that have beencarried out to date are listed, along with quantitative and qualitative individual-level impact methodologies.

Amongst the findings:

• Reach and reception - e.g., Soul City has reached about 80% of the adult population, and Soul Buddyz and Soul City reach about 90% of children 8-12 years of age.
• Data are shared for perceived usefulness of HIV/AIDS programmes and campaigns for HIV/AIDS information by age group (South Africa, 2005).
• Data are shared for Soul City exposure series 1-6 and condom use.
• Data are shared for exposure to Soul City multimedia during series 6 and condom use.
• Data are shared for HIV counselling and testing: HIV test in past 12 months.
• Data are shared for impact on stigma: Soul City, series 7.
• Data are shared for the percentage showing positive attitudinal changes towards people living with HIV by exposure to Soul Buddyz television.

Impacts on HIV prevention behaviours: key findings:

• Proportion of those who used a condom at last sex increased as exposure intensity to Soul City media increased.
• Those that were exposed to 4 Soul City media were almost 3 times more likely to be tested for HIV compared to those without exposure.
• There was a 17% increase in non-stigmatising attitudes attributable to exposure to Soul City 7 TV.
• Increase in non-stigmatising attitudes in children on 6 items was attributable to Soul Buddyz TV.

To illustrate Soul City's methodological approaches, several slides outline past evaluations, such as qualitative data gleaned from 40 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 26 individual in-depth interviews (IDIs), which illustrate the individual-level impact of Soul City's regional OneLove campaign. Quotations to illustrate the dialogue and debate generated by this intervention at the individual level are included. Second level, community-level impacts of Soul Buddyz Clubs were measured via quantitative (cross-sectional) studies and qualitative studies, with a follow-up/cohort study that compared the baseline - children recruited to SBC (n=150) followed up and compared to children not in SBC (n=150) from similar communities. One figure here indicates differences in knowledge of rights-based services in the local area. A third area of impact - societal-level impact - is illustrated by evidence of legal reform. Soul City conducted FGDs with government, service providers, NGOs, training institutions, community members; the organisation also carried out a descriptive analysis of helpline calls and content analysis of media coverage. Sample finding: The Domestic Violence Act was implemented on 15 December 1999: "... it is clear from the findings that implementation of the Act in 1999 was an achievement that can largely be attributed to the advocacy initiative, and the multi-media component of the Soul City 4 intervention."

Following a list of the evaluation challenges, implications for programming are listed, including: Greater intensity and mix of media exposure lead to greater impacts; mix of media and social mobilisation is very important; focusing on the community and not only the individual is empowering; and research and evaluation are key components of the SBCC programme cycle.