Social Norms Measurement: Catching up With Programs and Moving the Field Forward

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Elizabeth Costenbader, FHI 360; Beniamino Cislaghi, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; Cari Clark, Emory University; Laura Hinson, International Center for Research on Women; Rachel Lenzi, FHI 360; Donna R McCarraher, FHI 360; Courtney McLarnon-Silk, Georgetown University; Julie Pulerwitz, Population Council; Bryan Shaw, Georgetown University; Leigh Stefanik, CARE USA
• Language: English
• Date: 2019-04-01
• Publisher: Elsevier: 12 months
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2019 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.01.001
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Adolescent Health
• ISSN: 1054-139X
• Volume: 64
• Issue: 4
• Start Page: S4
• End Page: S6
• Keywords: Life Sciences & Biomedicine; GENDER; Psychology; Pediatrics; Psychology, Developmental; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; Social Sciences; CONTRACEPTIVE USE; Science & Technology
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Psychology, Behavioral

Abstract

To date, there are numerous normative change programs for AYSRH in the field and going to scale [1]. Many of these are doing so, however, with scant evidence of the desired normative change outcomes, resulting largely from the fact that social norms' measurement has lagged behind [2,3]. As programs are developed to shift social norms to improve adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH) outcomes, rigorous but practical approaches are needed to identify the social norms that are influencing behaviors, measure changes in social norms, and understand how these changes impact behavioral outcomes.